Another government apartment sinks in Kovai

COIMBATORE: Yet again, a multi-storeyed apartment block has sunk on its foundations in the city, causing concern among officials of the city corporation and the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB).This time the problem has occurred at Ukkadam, where the construction of multi-storeyed apartments with 2,332 tenements, is nearing completion. Block No 4 with 144 flats sank 15 cm into the ground a couple of days ago. Locals noticed it and informed the TNSCB. Minister for Housing R Vaithiyalingam immediately inspected the apartment that had sunk, along with Collector M Karunakaran and top officials on Tuesday.After the inspection, Vaithiyalingam said the project was being built under the JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) at a cost of `76.34 crore by the TNSCB to relocate slum dwellers living on water bodies and other government lands. He said the soil test was conducted by PSG Tech College and Tiruchy NIT and alleged that the test was not conducted  properly during the previous  DMK regime.The minister said that with the permission of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, action will be taken within a month, after the submission of a report by an expert committee to the government. The action would be based on the committee’s report, he said. He ordered the stoppage of works of not only the block that had sunk, but also other buildings, until the government receives the expert committee report. Beneficiaries of the project should have occupied the tenements last year as the TNSCB and the corporation planned to finish it before June 2010.