Thrissur: The collapse of the roof of a building owned by the Thrissur Corporation onto the road due to heavy rain and wind on Friday has sparked outrage from the Opposition in the Corporation. Mayor M K Varghese did not attend the meeting called by the Corporation Secretary on Saturday to discuss the issue.

Following this, Congress councillors surrounded the Corporation Secretary, demanding the suspension of the officials responsible for the collapse of the roof. The protest ended after the Secretary assured councillors that action would be taken against the responsible officials within 24 hours.

Councillor John Daniel accused the Mayor and the Corporation Secretary of taking a very casual approach towards the incident. He pointed out that the Mayor failed to visit the Corporation the day after the incident and did not attend the meeting called by the Secretary to discuss the matter, which proves their negligence. Both the Mayor and the Secretary’s statements that they were unaware of the precarious condition of the roof is part of a conspiracy, he alleged. He further alleged that if the Mayor had any sense of responsibility towards the public, he would have attended the meeting convened by the Secretary on Saturday. 

John Daniel further accused the Mayor of extreme apathy for not taking part in such a serious situation.

Meanwhile, Mayor M K Varghese said that 217 old and dilapidated buildings in Thrissur city will be demolished. Action will be taken against owners of buildings that pose a risk, he added. 

According to the Mayor, the 4000-kg roof collapsed onto the road due to strong winds. An investigation team including the Superintending Engineer will inquire about the incident, he added.