Panel not done with Kaloor building crash report

KOCHI: The procedural committee which is probing collapse of the basement of an under construction building at Kaloor has sought more time to submit its report. It was expected that the committee will submit its report after a meeting at the district collectorate on Friday. However, the panel requested the Collector to give more time to finalise and submit its report.

“The two major points probed by the panel are the actual cause of the collapse and whether the site is suited to continue the construction of a multi-storied building. The report will be submitted after further deliberations and studies,” said sources at the collectorate.

District Collector Muhammad Y. Safirulla, who is also chairman of the District Disaster Management Committee, had ordered to constitute the procedural committee on April 21. The panel was asked to submit report within a week.

The six-member team comprises disaster management deputy collector P.D. Sheela Devi, senior town planner P.R. Ushakumari, geologist Krishnendu at mining and geology department, public works department building section executive engineer Rejeena Beevi, emeritus professor Babu T. Jose and structural engineering expert Anil Joseph.

The actual cause of the accident could be ascertained only after receiving the report of the procedural committee. It needs to be investigated what caused the mishap – whether it is structural instability, or instability of the land. The technical committee initially constituted by the collector had raised suspicion that the inability of shoring pillars to withstand the pressure from underground water and heavy traffic might have led to the mishap.