Parts of houses collapse

It has been a nightmarish experience for over 120 residents living on one side of P.S. Sivaswamy Salai in Mylapore, as portions of a few houses collapsed on Tuesday morning owing to the ongoing stormwater drain work undertaken by the Chennai Corporation. Residents also alleged that cracks started appearing in their houses ever since the digging began.

A month ago, the civic body started digging on one side of the road to lay new drains. The project is for a length of 350 m on the stretch. As of now, 150 m have been dug up. Residents said they were not informed about the digging work beforehand.

Around 4.15 a.m. on Tuesday, the front portion of a house on the stretch collapsed. “Hearing the noise, we rushed out and found that the stairs and the frontage had collapsed. There were cracks on the building too. They have dug up nearly 10 feet and it is very close to our houses,” said K.V. Balaji, who stays with his seven-member family. However, nobody was injured in the collapse.

Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the toilet of a house having entrance in the adjacent Apparsamy Koil Street collapsed. “Most of houses are over 50 years old. The authorities should have informed us earlier and taken precautions. Such accidents can cause casualties,” said Umapathy, another resident.

‘Difficult to move’

Most residents are not able to enter or leave their houses.

“I was forced to close my shop after the digging began. Children and elders find it difficult to walk on the narrow wooden planks placed for the residents to cross,” Mr. Umapathy said.

Nagammal, an elderly woman, said they have been suffering without water and drainage connection ever since the digging began. “The problems started ever since the stretch was made a one-way. Whenever heavy vehicles cross the stretch, the house vibrates,” she said. B. Neelakandan, secretary, Vivekanandapuram Residential Welfare Association, said the work should have been carried out in phases.

“As there is heavy vehicle movement on the road, more houses may collapse. The Corporation should complete the work soon,” he said.

A Corporation official said that they would repair the damage soon.