Sunday’s road cave-in has raised doubts over safety standards of Chennai Metro Rail among the public.
Sr. Prabha, principal of Sacred Heart Matriculation School, Church Park, said she was relieved as the accident did not happen on a working day as the cave-in happened outside the school.
“Teachers and parents immediately sent messages expressing fear what might have happened if our children travelled during this time. Chennai Metro Rail clearly needs to raise the standards of safety,” she said.
Experts point to different reasons for the accident on Sunday. “It is not unusual. Such instances have occurred in other cities too. It is very tricky to gauge when and how this can happen,” said Prof. R.G. Robinson of IIT Madras.
“Soil strata varies quite a bit even between few metres, and unless it is very closely monitored, there are chances of missing the layers in between,” he added.
An expert in the construction industry, who did not wish to be named said, “One possibility is that while carrying out tunnelling work, bracing the top soil may not have been carried out well or the concrete rings [placed to create tunnel] may not have been placed correctly. Instances like this have occurred abroad; but they are few and far between. This will be viewed seriously,” he said.
‘Misplaced fears’
Many commuters are wondering about their safety once the trains start running underground. But experts say the fears are misplaced. S. R. Gandhi, former head of department of civil engineering in IIT Madras, and director at S.V.National Institute of Technology, Surat, said, “Concrete lining will be carried out during construction and there will not be any problems.”
