Newly constructed building at Islamabad International Airport starts caving in

After the customs cargo (airfreight unit) building at the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) started caving in, the authorities have decided to shift all staff and workers to an alternative place.
Initially, small cracks appeared on the walls along with a leakage from the drain in the office of a senior officer and other rooms but the cracks started increasing day by day. A portion of the building is now caving in.
Senior officers of the customs department brought the issue to the notice of the airport manager and the project director of the IIA intimating them that the building was no longer safe for those working there
Additional Collector Customs Nisar Ahmed told Dawn that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would start shifting the office of the airfreight unit to another place, comprising two rooms, on Monday.
He confirmed that cracks in the building had widened and the building was caving in from one side making it no longer safe to work in.
The official said the airfreight unit office was shifted to the newly-constructed building on May 1, two days before the new airport was formally opened.
But the cracks started appearing in the walls after three months.
“After a letter was written to the CAA, the authority plastered the walls to fill the cracks but alarm bells started ringing when the building started caving in a few days ago.
“How people can work under such a dangerous situation by risking their lives. It’s better to evacuate the staff.”
The customs authorities informed the CAA and the project director that the building of the airfreight unit was in an extremely shabby and dangerous condition.
The building is bearing huge cracks and the gaps in the cracks are increasing with every passing day.
They said every day new cracks were identified and the building was crumbling very quickly.
The authorities said the condition of the building had made the place very insecure to sit and work in.
Every day almost 200 to 250 people come to work in the building and the situation is affecting their performance and creating hindrance in the discharge of their duties.
They also expressed their concern and said it might be dangerous for people if precautionary measures were not taken on time.
The building is also housing a post office and the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) branch where more than 200 to 300 people either work or visit during working days. All these offices would be relocated.
A CAA spokesperson told Dawn that soon after the customs authorities complained about the cracks in the building, senior experts arrived from Karachi and inspected the building.
“The CAA has provided an alternative space to the customs staff after they complained about the cracks in the building,” the spokesperson said, adding that an investigation had also been launched to find out how the newly-constructed building developed cracks.
Hardly seven months have passed since the new IIA was constructed at a cost of over Rs105 billion. A number of incidents such as the collapse of false ceiling, choking of sewerage lines and stinking water in offices have occurred since the new airport became functional.
Five officials working at the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) were injured in two separate incidents on Tuesday, South Punjab News reported.
A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) official was injured when an aerobridge collapsed, while four employees of Gerry's dnata suffered injuries when the ceiling of the baggage handling section collapsed.
As the Gulf Airline's flight GF771, heading from Islamabad to Bahrain, began to taxi, it was separated from a passenger boarding bridge which then collapsed.
The collapsed bridge at Islamabad International Airport. — Photo provided by author
The collapsed bridge at Islamabad International Airport. 
Bridge operator Mohammad Mudassir was moving the bridge back when it collapsed. He suffered injuries from the broken glass, however, the airline proceeded safely towards its destination, airport officials said.
Later in the day, a baggage handling section belonging to Gerry's dnata experienced the collapse of its ceiling, resulting in injuries to four people and damage to two computers which were rendered useless.
According to airport officials, the injured were rushed to the trauma centre for medical attention.
Meanwhile, a four-member inquiry board was formed to probe the aerobridge collapse. The inquiry board will be headed by Deputy Director General of Airport Services Syed Amir Mehboob. Other members include Director Projects Lahore Airport Siddiqur Rehman, Manager Peshawar Airport Ubaidur Rehman, and Senior Deputy Director Kamal Khan.
The inquiry board will investigate the reasons behind the bridge's collapse and whether the bridge was properly attached to the aircraft. It will also look into the damages incurred post-accident and the quality and performance of other passenger boarding bridges at the airport.
The findings will be presented before the relevant authorities in two weeks.
Earlier this month, the airport manager of the Islamabad was dismissed after stray dogs were seen wandering the facility's premises on video.
Footage  showed a pack of at least five stray dogs roaming outside the airport's lounge in the basement. In a potential safety hazard, the dogs could be heard barking at passengers proceedings towards the parking with their luggage.
Officials at IAA had told DawnNewsTV this was not a one-off incident; strays dogs have been spotted on the airport's premises regularly in recent weeks.
The newly constructed airport was inaugurated less than six months ago in May after going through its share of hiccups.
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