TIRUPATTUR: In the aftermath of a scaffolding collapse at an under-construction flyover in Ambur town on Saturday, which injured six people, a National Highway official responsible for the project told TNIE on Sunday that they are probing the factors that led to the collapse. Officials are checking CCTV camera footage of nearby shops, he said, adding that as per local residents, a large vehicle rammed the scaffolding, leading to its collapse.
Sources, however, indicated that vehicle colliding with the scaffolding is unlikely, as the site has been thoroughly barricaded, leaving a safe distance from the scaffolding.
On Saturday, a section of the scaffolding for the flyover on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway near the Ambur railway station collapsed. This project is part of a Rs 135-crore initiative to widen the highway from Krishnagiri to Walajahpet to six lanes. As many as six workers were injured in the incident, three of whom sustained serious injuries and are currently undergoing treatment at Vellore Government Hospital. The official said that all the injured are out of danger.
Meanwhile, the collapsed area has been barricaded, and traffic has resumed. Although the project was approved in 2011, work on the elevated corridor was sanctioned only in 2022. While the highway was converted into a six-lane road almost 8 years ago, the official said that work on the elevated corridor was delayed due to land acquisition issues of the 1.5-km stretch in Ambur town.
However, ever since work on the elevated corridor began one and a half years ago, it has been moving at a fast pace, he added. However, with a bus stand and railway station nearby, the construction on the highway, which witnesses around 75,000 vehicles daily, has escalated traffic congestion in the accident-prone area. Officials said that the work on the elevated corridor is expected to be completed by December, this year.