Bridge constructed with sub-standard materials, allege locals

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee general council member and the president of Pernambut town Congress committee, S Suresh Kumar, wrote to the Panchayat Union’s Block Development Officers demanding that the construction of the bridge in Pernambut must be stopped. In the letter forwarded three days ago, he also alleged that the bridge is being constructed with sub-standard materials.

He charged that the contractors replaced cement with rubble dust, and sand with the soil dug up from the spot. He has also threatened to move to the court and if no action is taken immediately, he added that an agitation would be held in front of the Block Development Officer.

Similarly, Suresh Kumar sent another letter to Vellore Collector SA Raman demanding that action must be taken against the engineer and supervisor of the panchayat union. He also demanded that the materials should be tested for quality and action must be initiated against the contractor if necessary.

When contacted, officials refused to answer on the allegation and stated that an investigation on the reliability of the charges was underway. However, sources added that action would be taken if charges were found to be true.