Within six months of taking charge as the chairman of the Builders Association of India (BAI), Tiruchi centre, tragedy has struck M. Manimaran, who died in an air crash at Nepal on Sunday morning.
It was only in April that Manimaran was installed as the chairman for 2011-2012 along with other new office-bearers of the Tiruchi centre of the BAI.
Manimaran, who was a valuer and a builder, had left from here on Wednesday for an all-India BAI meet in New Delhi. An amiable person, Manimaran was in his mid-forties and had a vision for the BAI, say the association members, unable to digest the news of his death along with other BAI members in the air crash.
Manimaran, who is survived by wife working in a private sector bank in the city and a daughter, had been associated with the association for over 10 years.
With the death of M.V. Maruthachalam, another BAI member, Tiruchi has lost its senior most flat promoter, say construction industry sources here. Mr. Maruthachalam, who was also a leading valuer, had been associated with the BAI for over 20 years.
Another leading valuer and structural engineer, Kanaka Sabesan, had been consultant for several housing projects and a visiting faculty at the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi.
He was to take charge as president of the Rotary Club of Tiruchi when destiny snuffed out his life. Their deaths are a huge loss for the construction sector and the BAI, says an association member.
Thangkabalu offers condolences
Special Correspondent from Chennai writes:
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.V. Thangkabalu has conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims of the aircraft crash near Kathmandu.
In a statement here, he said he was shocked to note that of the 19 killed, eight belonged to Tiruchi region.