Thodupuzha: The proposed installation of a lift at the KSRTC depot building here, which is essential for the multi-storey structure to obtain an official building number, has hit a deadlock after the abrupt discovery of a supporting beam during wall demolition.

If the beam, which runs across the wall, is removed, the building risks collapsing. Yet without dismantling the beam, installing the lift is impossible. Caught in this dilemma, the authorities have put the project on hold. Meanwhile, the lift equipment that had already been purchased is lying idle, slowly gathering rust.

The four-storey building, which houses shop rooms and a hall, was constructed at a cost of Rs.16 crore and inaugurated three years ago. However, it was only after the inauguration that the authorities began exploring the need for a building number and the mandatory certification from the Fire and Safety Department.

When the municipality responded that a building number could be allotted only if a lift was installed, steps were initiated to begin the construction. When the contractor identified an alternative location for the lift that avoided the original beam, work began there as well, but another beam was encountered in that spot too.

This has raised doubts as to whether these dismantling efforts were carried out without even a basic verification of the building’s approved plan. Depot officials maintain that the responsibility for the building’s construction lay with the Chief Engineer’s office in Thiruvananthapuram.

The absence of a building number has also stalled the plan to auction off the commercial spaces inside the structure. As a result, 13 prospective tenants who had initially taken shop spaces on rent have since backed out, collecting their security deposits from KSRTC.