Roof and balcony collapse at Srinath University’s Jamshedpur Office

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, July 1: A major tragedy was narrowly averted on Tuesday morning when the roof and balcony of the city office of Srinath University collapsed at Laxmi Mansion, a 90-year-old building located near the Bistupur traffic signal. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

The first incident occurred shortly after the office opened, when the roof of the Chancellor’s chamber suddenly caved in, bringing down debris and the false ceiling. The rubble fell just one meter away from staff members, who were present and working at the time. Due to persistent rainfall, several parts of the building were leaking, with buckets being used to manage the water drip.

Even before staff could recover from the shock, the balcony of the waiting area collapsed within an hour. No parents or visitors were present at that moment, preventing a second potentially fatal accident.

Built in 1936, the Laxmi Mansion building was declared “condemned” by the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) and the Building Construction Department on July 6, 2021. Despite being officially labeled unsafe, the building continued to house Srinath University’s city office and several rented shops. Around 25 shopkeepers and their customers remain at risk daily, as the structure sits on a busy main road with constant vehicular and pedestrian movement.

No action has been taken so far to demolish the structure, and the administration’s inaction raised serious concerns among the public. Locals feared that, unless urgent steps were taken, a catastrophic incident was inevitable.

This incident followed a similar tragedy that occurred on May 3 at MGM Hospital in Sakchi, where the balcony of the third floor of B Block collapsed, resulting in two deaths and multiple injuries. That event had prompted emergency relocation efforts to a new MGM building in Dimna. Residents questioned why similar urgency was not being applied to prevent another disaster at Laxmi Mansion.