Damaged ceiling of the room that houses issue and diary section. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 6: Though the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) building is in revamp mode with a renovated corridor, new laminated doors and ceiling near the entrance, the room housing the issue and diary sections is still in bad shape.

In the last fortnight, the employees had two lucky escapes as big chunks of concrete fell on their tables. “We were lucky that the chunks did not fall on us. We have already informed the executive engineer and he has assured us of action as soon as possible,’’ said an employee of the diary section.

While the BMC Council has already decided to build a multi-storeyed office complex at Unit VIII area where the Bachelors' Barrack once stood, staff of the two sections are suffering a lot as they function in the old structure. What’s worse, the roof in the corporation section is showing signs of decay.

City engineer T.B.K. Shroff said: “The condition of the roof in the issue and diary sections was never brought to my notice, but now I will ask the engineer concerned to look into it and expedite the work as it involves safety of the employees.’’ Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said the entire BMC building would be renovated and not the main corridor or the doors of senior officials.

“We have taken a resolution at a Council meeting that all structures needing renovation will be completed by August 31, which is Local Self-Government Day. After finishing work on the corridor and other sections, the engineers will look into roof and other structures of the issue and diary section. The defunct counter operating near the gate and occupying much space of the lobby will be dismantled as another new building is under construction for e-municipality applications,’’ he added.

Speaking on the plan to have a multi-storeyed building for the new state-of-the art BMC office, which is likely to come up in the mayor’s ward, Jena said: “Though the encroachment problem is over, the general administration department is yet to provide the ownership papers to BMC. Once we get those, we can plan for the new building.’’

The new office would be nearer to the Secretariat, the state Assembly and other major government offices, including the treasury. The old building will serve as a zonal office of the corporation. It will be one of the zonal offices looking after Old Town and nearby areas. There will be three more zonal offices for the corporation as per the plan.

A spacious building for the civic body was always on BMC radar as the old office was operating from the small space which was once housed the notified area council (NAC). Even with the growth of NAC to municipality and then a corporation, the limited space was always a stumbling block in the execution of day-to-day affairs of the urban local body.

The plot under the Bachelors’ Barrack in Unit VIII area was occupied by the state administration last year after the demolition of the old structure. But even after the demolition the slum dwellers were living there. They were transferred to city’s first transit home in Chandrasekhrapur, meant for keeping the oustees of eviction in January.