Portion of flyover on Villupuram-Nagapattinam National Highway sinks

A portion of a flyover located at Erukankattupadagai near Chidambaram on the arterial Villupuram-Nagapattinam national highway sank on Sunday night raising serious concerns about the quality of construction.

Sources said a portion of the flyover built across the Kollidam River sank to a depth of 20 feet. However, the local residents in the vicinity were safely evacuated and none were injured in the incident. Traffic through the national highway towards Chidambaram came to a standstill and diversions were arranged later.

Official sources said temporary repairs were under way on Sunday when staff of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) spotted the flyover sinking and immediately alerted residents to evacuate their homes at midnight.

Residents blamed shoddy construction and demanded the entire flyover be demolished and rebuilt.