Hyderabad: A portion of the glassfibre reinforced concrete (GRC) beam on the fifth floor of Telangana Secretariat fell on a parked car on Wednesday, causing panic among employees, officials, and visitors. No one was injured in the incident, as the severely-damaged car was empty.
However, the incident raised serious concerns about the construction quality at the new Secretariat, which was built at the cost of over Rs 1,200 crore under the previous BRS government. It brings back a series of previous issues surrounding the newly constructed Secretariat, which was meant to stand as a modern symbol of governance.
A few months ago, water seeped into the building during heavy rains. A fire broke out in the lower floors in February 2023 during the final stages of construction, merely two months before its official inauguration in April 2023.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who was serving as the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president at the time, had accused the previous BRS government of corruption in the construction process. He alleged that the massive expenditure on the Secretariat, exceeding Rs 1,200 crore, was marred by substandard work.
The recent incident, critics say, further corroborates these concerns.
Responding to the beam collapse, Shapoorji Pallonji Ltd, which built the Secretariat, issued a media statement defending the quality of construction. “The collapse of the GRC frame was not due to any fault in the structure or construction. The damage occurred during routine work for the installation of cables and lighting, which involved drilling into the GRC material.”
This drilling, the company explained, could have led to the damage. However, it said that it would thoroughly review the incident.
