The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Traffic disrupted as portion of road caves in

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 16, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Traffic disrupted as portion of road caves in

Staff Reporter

A lorry passes through, leaving behind 3-foot-deep crater

Photo: K. Pichumani

AFTERMATH: Police personnel and officials of forensic laboratory examining the portion of North Avenue Road, Korattur, which caved in on Saturday. —

CHENNAI: Panic gripped the area and traffic was paralysed on Saturday evening as a portion of the North Avenue Road in Korattur caved in around 1.30 p.m.

The stretch is a busy bus route road and frequently used by Chennai Metrowater tanker lorries too. There is a filling station of Metrowater on the road.

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus terminus is situated less than half a km away from the damaged stretch. Some residents said the road was laid over stormwater drain.

On Saturday afternoon, the portion caved in after a lorry passed through, leaving in its wake a three-foot-deep crater.

Beneath the caved-in portion, a concrete canal could be seen. Along the other side of the road is a drainage canal.

On 31st street, about 20 paces away from the caved-in portion, a manhole on the edge of the road has developed a gaping hole.

The damaged roads fall under the jurisdiction of Ambattur Municipality.

Ambattur municipal engineer, who visited the spot, said the underground drainage was built by another agency and handed over to the municipality.

“We will look into the cause. It is possible that a manhole gave way,” the engineer said.

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