PUDUCHERRY: In a shocking incident, a newly built three-storey house collapsed just before housewarming. The incident took place yesterday at Ambedkar Nagar in Attupatti, Puducherry. According to sources, the house collapsed due to the digging of a ditch using an earthmoving machine as part of the renovation of a drainage canal running through the village.

Locals alleged that a heavy tremor was felt in the area after the earthmoving machine was used for the renovation of the canal. A few houses had been built on the land allotted by the government along the banks of the canal. PWD work was going on near the canal as part of the construction of a bridge connecting Maraimalai Adigal Salai and Kamaraj Salai.

#WATCH | Houses in the Attupatti area of Puducherry collapsed due to the digging of ditch as a part of drainage work pic.twitter.com/9nIn4AjU3w

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024

A PWD official said a major disaster was averted as there were no people in and around the house at the time of the accident. Public Works Department Minister K Lakshminarayanan visited the accident site. PWD and the Revenue Department will submit a report on the incident. The Minister said that an enquiry will be held soon and that the government is considering providing compensation to the owner of the house.

In the meantime, the AIADMK organized a protest in the area, calling on the government to provide adequate compensation to the owner of the house. The leaders of AIADMK, who alleged that the negligence of the contractor was the cause of the accident, demanded that the PWD should take responsibility.