
A part of the tensile roofing of the VOC Stadium in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli, inaugurated eight months ago, collapsed after 30 minutes of heavy rain on Monday, May 22. Casualties were avoided as there was no public activity in the stadium at the time of the collapse. The city corporation issued a notice directing the contractor who undertook the roofing work to bear all the expenses of the repairs.
The stadium was inaugurated after renovation in September 2022 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin under the Smart City programme. The renovation began in March 2021 and was completed in 2022. The project was worth Rs 14.95 crores. VOC Stadium is one of the important stadiums in the district. Apart from sports events, it is also open for the public for walking and exercise.
The collapsed roof attracted criticism from the Opposition, who urged that action be taken against the concerned authorities and the contractor. “The roof collapsed after eight months of use. No casualties were reported as the roof collapsed when no one was present. From the Jal Jeevan scheme to Smart City scheme, the incompetent DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) government is only aiming to make money by corrupting all central government schemes,” Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai tweeted, slamming the DMK government.
நெல்லை மாவட்டம் பாளையங்கோட்டையில் உள்ள வ.உ.சி மைதானத்தில், மத்திய அரசின் ஸ்மார்ட் சிட்டி திட்டத்தின் கீழ் 14 கோடி ரூபாய் மதிப்பில் கட்டப்பட்ட மேற்கூரை, அரை மணி நேரம் மழைக்குத் தாங்காமல் இடிந்து விழுந்துள்ளது.
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) May 23, 2023
இதற்கு முந்தைய ஆட்சிக் காலத்தில் இந்த பணிகளுக்கான டெண்டர்…
According to a Times of India report, the AIADMK has filed a petition with the Tirunelveli Corporation demanding the filing of criminal cases against the contractor and the corporation engineers.
After the collapse, the chief engineer from the Municipal Administration Department and a technical expert from Chennai’s Anna University inspected the stadium and said that a report will be submitted to the Corporation. The civic body has restricted public entry to the stadium until the repairs are done.