The piling rig machine that fell over the flyover at the Metro Rail construction workers at Retteri. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Several workers had a narrow escape as a piling rig collapsed at a Chennai Metro Rail construction site at Retteri on Thursday night.

Around 11.20 p.m. on September 1, the piling machine, which is used for drilling the ground, tumbled near the flyover causing a minor damage to the structure. “Thankfully, the flyover took the impact of the fall of the rig. If not, it could have fallen over workers at the site. No worker was injured in this incident,” a source said.

According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL), as the city received rain a few days ago, the soil in the area has loosened. “When the operator was moving the rig, suddenly the soil gave way and the machine sank and fell over the flyover. The piling rig was deployed for shifting the utility lines. Emergency teams rushed to the spot and removed the machine by 6.30 a.m. the next day,” an official said.

As part of the massive Phase II project that is being built across the city at a cost of ₹61,843 crore, Metro Rail will have three corridors —Madhavaram to Sholinganallur, Light House to Poonamallee and Madhavaram to SIPCOT. The elevated station at Retteri is part of the Madhavaram-Sholinganallur stretch.

Chennai may receive rains in the coming months and this problem could occur in future too.

But officials said they had begun taking steps to make sure such accidents do not repeat in future.

“We are taking safety very seriously. We hold review meetings every week with the general consultants and regularly with the contractors too. We are holding a detailed investigation into the issue,” another official said.

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Printable version | Sep 11, 2022 7:58:54 pm | https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/piling-rig-machine-falls-near-metro-rail-construction-site/article65846162.ece