'Madurai-Natham Flyover Accident Happened Due To The Carelessness Of Contractor', Says TN Minister

A portion of an under construction flyover collapsed near Naganakulam tank in Madurai district. One died and one another was injured in the accident.

Minister Inspected The Accident Spot

Chennai: The Madurai-Natham flyover accident has happened due to the carelessness and negligence of the contractor executing the flyover work and it should have been avoided, said Tamil Nadu minister for State highways EV Velu on Sunday. 

On Saturday evening, a portion of a flyover that is under construction between Pandiyan Hotel junction and Chettikulam for about 7.5 kilometers, collapsed near Naganakulam tank in Madurai district. One died and another was injured in the accident. The minister inspected the accident spot along with Tamil Nadu finance minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan on Sunday morning. 

Speaking to the media, the minister said that the flyover was constructed as a part of a Rs 545 crore Madurai-Natham four-lane highway project. “A Mumbai-based company has taken up the contract and has been working on the project for the past three years. The work is likely to be completed by April 2022. The project is monitored by the union government’s National Highways Authority of India (NHAI),” the minister said. 

According to a report from The New Indian Express, the minister said that the accident has taken place due to the malfunction of the hydraulic jack which has taken place due to the carelessness of the contractor. The minister said that such works must have taken place under the supervision of a site engineer but it was being carried out by two guest workers without any supervision. 

The report said that the minister had directed the district collector to review the ongoing works at the construction site by roping in experts from NIT-Trichy and submit a report in this regard. 

Quoting the minister, the report said that a lab sheet maintenance will be commissioned at the ongoing flyover construction sites and the sheet will have the details of workers involved in the work, the kind of work carried out in a day and it will be submitted to their higher-ups everyday. 

Meanwhile, Tallakulam police officials have booked Pradeepkumar Jain, Santhiyenthar Varma, Baskar, and other in-charges under sections 304 (a) and 287 of IPC following the accident.