Days after accident, committee formed to examine SVIMS building

CHITTOOR: The district administration has launched an investigation into the quality of an under-construction building, an extension of the SVIMS’ Sri Padmavathi Medical College and Hospital. It may be recalled that a 31-year-old worker, who was two months pregnant, died while two Covid-19 patients managed to escape with injuries after a portion of a concrete slab of the building collapsed on them late on Sunday. 

A three-member committee of superintendent engineers has been formed to examine the G+5 building located on the SVIMS premises, and identify the exact cause of the mishap. A source in the know said the committee has already began its examination of the building. 

“A report by the committee is expected in a few days. After some research, it was found that the concrete slabs of the upper floors have not been plastered properly,” the source added. 

The contract for the project was awarded to a Hyderabad-based construction firm by the Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMIDC) in 2018. Even as the first two floors were completed and handed over to the SVIMS, works on the remaining three floors came to a halt as the agency reportedly stopped receiving funds from the government. 

The SVIMS administration has been treating Covid patients in the building, which also houses an ICU for Covid patients and a reception centre. 

Meanwhile, Rayalaseema Porata Samithi convener P Naveen Kumar has accused the APMIDC officials and the hospital management of negligence in the construction of the extended block. 

“The APMIDC awarded the contract to a Hyderabad-based firm to take up the construction of the five-storey building at Rs 139.42 crore. Even before the third floor was finished, the then TD government hurriedly handed over the building to the SVIMS. The building was inaugurated by the President Ramnath Kovind on September 1. 2017,” said Naveen. 

“Since the inauguration, the works are going on at a snail’s pace. They were completely halted after the general elections as the agency didn’t receive any fund from the government. We suspect some irregularities may have taken place in the construction.”