Four AIADMK cadre, who accompanied Cooperation Minister Sellur K. Raju, slipped into the pit that developed as a portion of the granite floor of the roundabout on Palam Station Road at the landing of Thathaneri bridge here caved in on Sunday.
The Minister, along with a group of cadre, inspected the roundabout which is under renovation as part of Swachh Iconic Places Initiative of Madurai Corporation. Beautification works in three roundabouts are over and the works are in progress at the roundabouts in Tirupparankundram and Sellur.
The civic body is giving a facelift to the Sellur roundabout at an estimated cost of ₹42 lakh and has planned to install a statue of a kabaddi player in the centre. According to a Corporation official, the granite floor was laid a month back.
But, residents of Sellur, who were present when the incident occurred, said that a group of AIADMK cadre were standing on the floor of the roundabout when it caved in suddenly, allegedly due to the poor quality of the structure. “They fell inside the pit filled with sewage and were lifted by other party men,” said a resident.
City Engineer S. Arasu said that an underground drainage pipeline burst had loosened the soil beneath the granite floor and led to the collapse of a portion. “We will attend to the pipeline burst immediately. Since, it is an ongoing project, we will strengthen the safety measures,” he added.
Published - March 08, 2020 07:04 pm IST
