The residents of Seshadripuram First Main Road in Velachery are living in constant fear because of the cracks that keep appearing on the road due to construction of a multi-storey apartment.
The Seshadripuram First Main Road is an important link road to the Perungudi railway station of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS). It also has several multi-storey apartments. However, when excavation for construction of a new multi-storey apartment started in July last year, a big portion of the main road caved in. The excavation also resulted in cracks appearing on the compound wall of the nearby apartments. The Chennai Corporation, following the appeal of residents, directed the construction to be stopped and paved the road anew.
Residents of the apartments nearby, including Ramaniyam Marvel and Anmol Abhinandan, had a rude shock on Sunday when big cracks appeared on the main road causing fear of cave-ins and safety hazard to more than 1,600 residents of the two big apartments. Residents are witnessing the development of cracks on beams and pillars of two apartments, clearly indicating structural stress around the construction activity.
The residents, through the Ramaniyam Marvel Flat Owners Association, have made an urgent appeal to the Chennai Corporation, demanding an immediate halt to all construction activities on the marshy soil until a comprehensive safety clearance is issued. They also wanted emergency stabilization and repair of the affected road to prevent further cave-ins, and a detailed structural and geotechnical safety audit of surrounding residential buildings.
