Part of Kala Academy Building in India was collapsed due to corrosion of steel structure

A section of the Kala Academy building in the capital city of Panaji, Goa, collapsed last month due to the corrosion of steel and composite structures. This information was stated by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant during a session in the legislative assembly, where he presented findings from investigative reports.

During this collapse incident on July 17, a part of the Kala Academy building's open-air auditorium, which was undergoing renovations, fell down, fortunately without causing any injuries. The opposition members had raised concerns about the quality of the ongoing construction work. In response, Sawant had assured the assembly that he would present the inquiry report during the Monsoon session.

Sawant explained that they have gathered four reports which suggest that the primary reason behind the structural failure was the corrosion of the steel framework and its lack of proper embedding within the reinforced cement concrete (RCC) slab. This led to a reduction in the load-bearing capacity and the ability of the structural elements to resist forces. Furthermore, he added that the composite structures were subjected to corrosion for more than 43 years, which eventually resulted in the collapse of the steel components and the RCC slab.

Following the incident, the Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department was directed to involve an independent agency - potentially IIT Roorkee or another IIT/NIT institution - to conduct an investigation. Simultaneously, the department sought explanations from the contractor responsible for the renovation project. However, since IIT Roorkee did not respond, the state government approached IIT Delhi to carry out the inquiry.