TIRUNELVELI: A portion of VOC stadium's tensile roofing collapsed during the rains that lashed Palayamkottai for around half an hour on Monday. Only on September 8, 2022, Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the modernised VOC stadium, which was renovated at a cost of Rs 14.95 crore under the Smart City Scheme.
Being one of the major stadiums in the district, the VOC stadium is a place where many sports events are held. It is also a place where the city dwellers come for morning and evening walks. Sources stated that since the incident took place in the afternoon, no lives were lost.
Soon after the collapse of the stadium's roof, Tirunelveli Corporation Commissioner V Sivakrishnamurthy visited the stadium and imposed a ban on the public's entry into the stadium until the repair works are done. "More than 2,000 people can sit in this stadium. The portion of the tensile roofing structure, constructed as a sunshade, collapsed due to the strong wind and rain," he explained to the media persons.
The Commissioner added that the screws on two out of the eight pillars in the roofing structure broke. "It is fortunate that there were no people in the stadium when the incident occurred. The debris will be first cleared from the stadium. The collapse is not due to flaws in construction as the rest of the tensile roofs are intact. The one which collapsed due to the wind was located at the end of the stadium, which has eight bays," he said. The renovation works of this stadium were started by the AIADMK government which finalised the tender.