The Hindu         28.01.2011

Corpn. South Zone office to be inaugurated today

After withstanding many political tremors, Coimbatore Corporation's earthquake-resistant South Zone office will be inaugurated on Friday.

Basement

Sources in the Corporation said the basement of the 15,000 sq.ft. building had been made earthquake-resistant through ‘isolation technique', under which six feet beneath the basement, one-and-half feet of river sand had been filled.

Shear walls had also been built to counter the effects of lateral load that would act on a structure. The measures would ensure that the building did not develop cracks after the tremors.

The Corporation had spent around Rs. 2 crore for the construction and that is where the epicentre of the quake is.

Corporation councillors said the civic body had not followed the rules in awarding contract for the construction of the building.

C. Padmanabhan, Councillor, Ward 3, said the Council's permission was sought only after the construction started and by doing so other contractors' participation in the tender process was ruled out. Besides, the work was awarded in phases.

Delay

He wanted to know why the Corporation failed to open the building as soon as it was constructed and had to postpone the inauguration for over one-and-a-half years.

P. Rajkumar, Councillor, Ward 71, wanted to know why the councillors were not told about the reason for the delay whenever they raised the issue on the floor of the Council.