Road develops crack in Velachery’s Sheshadripuram

A large crack developed on Sheshadripuram 1st Main Road at Annai Indira Nagar in Velachery opposite Perungudi Station Road on Monday. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials say the work at a nearby construction site may have caused the crack.

The crack was small in the last two days, but has widened significantly from around 9 a.m. on Monday and appeared deep enough to suggest a possible cave-in by the evening, said Rajasekhara Rao, a resident nearby. This road is accessed by many, including school and college students, to and from the railway station daily, he noted.

Drilling or of the hard rock below the black soil in this area may have caused reverberations throughout the surroundings, leading to cracks in the road, a GCC official said.

Regional Deputy Commissioner (South) Aftab Rasool said that both the road and the nearby construction site were inspected. Work at the construction site has been ordered to stop. Further investigation will determine if legal action should be taken against the private contractor responsible for the work, he said. Road restoration will be done within the next two-three days, he added.

Another resident of an apartment on this road claimed that the issue began when a nearby construction site started excavation work for laying a foundation. “The impact may have affected the neighbouring buildings, and Chennai Corporation needs to check it,” he added.

Another GCC official said that the reverberations may not have affected the neighbouring buildings. Meanwhile, the possible damage of stormwater drains, pipelines and cables will be checked by concerned officials on Tuesday, and a third-party inspection and assessment of the site, probably by experts from the Anna University, will also be done, the official said.

DMK Councillor S. Baskaran (Ward 178) said safety measures such as barricades have been placed to stop vehicles from entering the road. He said, however, pedestrians could use the road.