Rack collapses at Kannur Corporation's multi-level car parking facility, major disaster averted

Kannur: A major disaster was narrowly averted after a storage rack gave way at the Kannur Municipal Corporation’s multi-level car parking facility near Jawahar Stadium.

Rack No. 20, located on the third floor of the six-storey automated facility, collapsed on one side and was left precariously dangling. Fortunately, no vehicles were parked on the affected deck or on the tiers directly below it, preventing what could have been a catastrophic accident.

While critics allege that structural flaws and substandard engineering led to the failure, the contractors offered a different explanation. According to them, technicians were using a mechanical jack to raise the rack to repair a malfunctioning motor when the jack slipped, causing the rack to dislodge from its mounting hook.

Currently, the facility is only being used to park vehicles on the ground and first floors. Had a failure of this scale occurred when the facility was operating at full capacity, it could have caused massive vehicular damage and endangered lives. Structural failures of this nature are exceptionally rare in modern automated parking systems.

The facility’s troubled history has raised further concern. Though construction began on October 11, 2020, the completed structure was not operational for a long time. It was finally commissioned on November 1 last year, only to be shuttered again shortly after due to disuse. Authorities were forced to reopen it following intense public backlash. During this period of neglect, several iron components had begun to rust. Experts suspect that prolonged exposure to the elements without routine upkeep and maintenance may have prematurely weakened the structure. The facility was developed under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme by Pune-based Adi Soft Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Since the mishap occurred on an upper tier, lower-deck operations have not been halted, and parking continues on the lower levels. However, local residents are demanding a thorough safety audit to ensure the facility is completely hazard-free before it is opened to the public at full capacity.

Meanwhile, P Indira, Mayor, Kannur Municipal Corporation, said that steps have already been initiated to repair the damaged rack. "This was not caused by unscientific construction or structural defects. The facility is fully operational; the rack simply slipped during maintenance when the jack gave way. If our local technicians are unable to resolve the issue, we will bring in technical experts from Pune," she said.