A portion of the scaffolding erected around an under-construction mall collapsed here on Wednesday, bringing down the second floor roof. However, there were no casualties as the workers had just gone out of the structure after finishing works.
The shopping mall with a multiplex was being constructed at Chandramouli Nagar on the Ring Road by builder Alla Siva Reddy. At around 8 a.m., the supporting scaffolding around the structure caved in on its left side, bringing down the slab along with it. None of the workers, who had just completed laying the slab on the second floor, were present inside the building when the mishap took place.
The builder placed the supporting structure at a height of 30 metres from the ground. The workers were laying the slab on the balcony of the second floor when the structure caved in.
Soon after the incident, a team from Guntur Municipal Corporation rushed to the spot. Municipal Commissioner P. Nagaveni has asked the Engineering and Town Planning Department to collect details of the building. Labour Department officials also inspected the site and collected details.
When contacted, Mr. Siva Reddy said that the building was being constructed with the best and safest technology. “We are taking all necessary precautions. We also delayed the laying of slab for more than 10 days since we wanted to place extra supporting structure. Unfortunately, the roof caved in due to extra weight,’’ said Mr. Reddy.
