Building bylaws silent on false ceilings: Experts

JAIPUR: Hotels and restaurants can get away without proper maintenance of decorative false ceilings as building bylaws are silent about them, say architectural experts.

Decorative false ceiling, build on steel frames, have become a part of design in several city hotels and restaurants, but four cases of false ceiling collapse this month have raised safety concerns.

“False ceilings come under the category of non-structural items and currently there are no provisions in the building bylaws that require hotel owners or others to take permission from the local body before constructing such false ceilings,” said Ravindra Nagar, professor, department of civil engineering, Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT).

“A steel frame is used to construct the false ceiling and it is this frame that is in a risk of being corroded. The best option is to use galvanised or stainless steel,” he said, adding that in many cases, dampness and seepage resulting from air condition vents and condensers slowly weaken the basis of the ceiling.

“In many western countries there are guidelines mentioned in the building bylaws for such installations, but we presently don’t have any,” said Nagar.

Former chief town planner of Rajasthan, HS Sancheti, said the best way to prevent accidents is regular checks. “In most cases, the immediate cause of the false ceiling collapse is the weakening of the structure. Surely the introduction of bylaws making checks mandatory could be beneficial but at the end of the day the onus is on the hotel owners to ensure safety for guests,” he said.