Allegations of poor construction of Simhachalam temple wall under PRASAD scheme
Visakhapatnam: The recently built 25-foot long wall, constructed under the central government's PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive) scheme, collapsed onto two parallel queue lines in Simhachalam temple, claiming seven lives and leaving one person injured.
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The incident, attributed to alleged
poor construction quality
, prompted chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu to form a three-member committee for investigation, with initial findings due within three days.
The scheme was launched by the Union Ministry of Tourism in 2014 as an initiative that aimed at transforming the cultural preservation and spiritual travelling across identified pilgrimage destinations.
Under this scheme, works were taken up in Srisailam and Vijayawada's Kanakadurga temple. The works in Simhachalam are still continuing. Under this scheme, works at both foothill and uphill, pan-area development pilgrimage facilitation halls at old choutry, two floors of 500 square metre per floor each in two blocks, an entrance foyer and basic amenities building at the new ghat road entrance and others were taken up.
Senior endowment officials expressed dismay upon discovering the wall's composition revealing excessive sand content and insufficient cement usage. They said that appropriate construction standards were not followed.
The structure lacked proper foundational support from the ground, experts said. Standard construction practices require pillar reinforcement, which was notably absent from the contractor's work.
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District collector Harendira Prasad has ordered detailed reports from both contractor and supervising engineer regarding the wall's quality, which was reportedly constructed hastily over a few days.
"Heavy rainfall and downward water flow eroded the insufficiently compacted soil foundation. The flooding destabilised the wall's supporting base," explained a senior bureaucrat.
Local residents alleged that the wall's construction was completed merely three days ago, using only bricks without proper curing.
The structure, measuring two and a half feet in width and 25 feet in length, allegedly lacked reinforcement from iron pillars or beams.
The foundation and earthwork deteriorated, leading to the collapse after the heavy rainfall. Secretary, revenue (endowment) Vadarevu Vinaychand, stated, "construction of the wall was taken up under the
PRASAD scheme
which was carried out by the engineers of tourism department.
The govt will take full details about the construction."
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