Bihar govt staff dons helmets to safeguard against falling ceiling
Government employees at the Areraj block-cum-circle office in Bihar’s East Champaran district have taken to wearing helmets for personal safety at workplace, turning into objects of curiosity and wonder.
Reason? The office is in such a dilapidated state that plasters peel off the ceiling and fall on their heads, putting officials and civilians coming to the office at risk.
“Even the block development officer (BDO) has been forced to wear a helmet. The building construction department has already declared the structure ‘unfit’, but no effort has been made to undertake repairs,” said Manoj Paswan, a village representative.
Ranjit Singh, a staff at the BDO’s office, said: “Many employees have reportedly sustained injuries due to falling of plaster from the ceiling. The situation has aggravated due to rains. The entire building also leaks, compromising the safety of office equipment, records.” With the office located just beside the popular Areraj Shiv temple, many pilgrims also take refuge in the office corridors when it begins to rain, oblivious of the fact that they were putting their lives at risk.
BDO Amit Kumar Pandey said the matter has been reported to senior officers many times but to no avail.
He said the building construction department had declared the unfit for use two years back. The authorities have, however, found no alternate accommodation to shift the office.
When Hindustan Times contacted East Champaran district magistrate Anupam Kumar , he reeled out a mobile number and said, “Please talk to the sub-divisional officer (SDO) concerned.”
SDO Vijay Pandey said, “We are in the process of shifting the office and should complete it by Monday. We have already moved the staff of circle office to an adjoining community hall.”