The Health Department will take urgent steps to scientifically rebuild the compound wall of the men’s hostel building of the Priyadarshini Institute of Paramedical Sciences inside the Medical College campus, which is now in a precarious position after the caving in of the earth adjacent to it recently.
The earth adjacent to the wall, situated at a height of 40 feet, had caved in during the recent rain. A manhole, sewerage pipes and water supply pipes were also damaged. The wall requires immediate reconstruction as any more caving in could cause damage to the hostel building.
Minister visits hostel
Health Minister K.K. Shylaja visited the hostel on Thursday and held discussions with the Public Works Department and Kerala Water Authority officials. The PWD had earlier submitted an estimate to rebuild the wall. “Since the wall is situated close to the men’s hostel, we cannot do the rebuilding in the usual way. The proposed project to rebuild the wall costs Rs.1.6 crore. The PWD’s estimate is currently with the finance committee. We will take steps to get this cleared soon and start the work at the earliest,” the Minister told presspersons after the visit.
Soil nailing
Consultants from IIT Madras had suggested ‘soil nailing technique’ for rebuilding the wall, considering the nature of the slope. Usual building methods may cause damage to the hostel building, which is situated close to the wall. Soil nailing is a construction technique that can be used as a remedial measure to treat unstable natural soil slopes. It involves the insertion of relatively slender reinforcing elements into the slope.
Along with the reconstruction, the KWA will re-install the damaged water pipes and the manhole at a total cost of Rs.11.6 lakh.
