CHENNAI: The floor of a house in T Nagar caved in near an upcoming metro station on Sunday and it has been attributed to ongoing Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) tunnelling works from Kodambakkam Power House to the Panagal Park.
The floor of the house, located in Lalathottam, 2nd Street, caved in due to the pressure and the metro construction works have been temporarily halted for two days.
The tunnel boring machine (TBM) head has moved 20m away from the area where the building is located after the incident.
Reacting to the incident, T Archunan, Director of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) Projects said, "There are no cracks on the walls of the house and it is suspected that the house is situated in a place where there was an open well earlier. The consultants are also analysing the ground and reason for the damage. The maintenance and repair work of the house would be completely carried out by the CMRL.”
The house was in a locked state and the owner returned to the house three days later and found the collapsed floor and complained to the CMRL.
Following the incident, the family and the nearby two families were shifted as a precautionary step.
“Until the repair works are completed CMRL would take care of the rent of the families. The affected family would be shifted back only after getting the certificate stating that the building is stable and is usable," said the CMRL official.