While it was widely believed that IIT-Madras was engaged to assess the quality of construction at the newly built Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) tenements at Kesava Pillai (K.P) Park here, the board has clarified that the assessment was in fact being done by Centre for Urbanisation, Building and Environment (CUBE).
CUBE is an organisation formed in collaboration between IIT-Madras and the Government of Tamil Nadu. It has already carried out consultation, quality assurance and related work for several important construction projects around the country, officials said. The team was constituted for assessing the quality, following concerns over the poor quality of the construction work.
An official from TNSCB said the organisation has been given specific terms of reference to thoroughly check the quality of construction in all the newly-constructed blocks at K.P. Park. “This includes carrying our concrete core cutting and examining the samples in at least 100 places, checking the quality of plastering and the quality of construction materials used,” the official said. The team is expected to submit its report in three to four weeks time.
Meanwhile, activists have appealed for transparency in the quality assessment and also a public hearing. G. Selva, secretary, Chennai Central district unit, Communist Party of India (Marxist), said that the order and terms of reference issued to the assessment team had not been made public.
“Once the team submits its report, it should be made public,” he said.
He added that the assessment of quality should also include a public hearing to listen to the grievances of those who have been allotted houses at K.P. Park.
