Passengers not surprised by mishap

CHENNAI: While the incident of concrete slabs that crashed and injured four at the Nungambakam railway station shocked the passengers who used the facility, many opined that they were not surprised by the episode given the poor maintenance of the structure. Several passengers, who spoke to Express, said that the structure had shown signs of severe wear and tear for several months now. This was even taken to the notice of the officials who visited the station in December for inspection, they said. Sankar, assistant manager at a bank, who uses the bridge every day, said. “Parts of the steel roofing were dangling in the winds during the cyclone but nobody took notice.” A senior official at the Southern Railways said that the city has about 50 such foot overbridges, most of which were built in the late 1990s. Repair works were taken up “every five years.” When asked if this was enough, an engineer at SR said that ideally, the work should be done at shorter intervals. But, funds crunch was an issue.