The College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) has begun inspecting flats built for fishermen near Vizhinjam harbour after residents reported plaster and portions of ceilings falling from the buildings within seven years of their handover.
The inspection is intended to assess the condition of the flats and determine the nature and extent of the reported defects. Residents have raised concerns that falling debris could injure occupants, prompting the Thiruvananthapuram corporation to seek a technical assessment of the complex.
The flats were constructed and handed over to beneficiaries during the previous LDF-led corporation administration. The reported deterioration has now triggered questions about the quality of construction and whether lapses occurred during the project’s execution.
Mayor V V Rajesh has expressed concern over possible irregularities in the construction and said the matter requires detailed examination. He visited the flat complex late Friday as the technical inspection began.
The inspection by CET is expected to establish whether the reported damage is limited to surface deterioration or points to wider construction-related defects. The assessment will also help the corporation determine the extent of repairs or other action required, based on the condition of the buildings.
For residents, the immediate concern is safety inside homes that were intended to provide secure accommodation for fishing families near the harbour. Reports of ceiling and plaster pieces falling have raised the need for the buildings to be examined while occupants continue to live in the complex.
The corporation’s technical assessment also places responsibility for the next steps within an institutional process: first identifying the defects, then determining whether they resulted from construction lapses, material or workmanship problems, or other causes. The source report does not specify the inspection’s completion date, the number of affected flats or whether any injuries have been reported.
The corporation is seeking the findings of the technical examination before determining further action. CET’s inspection and the subsequent assessment will establish the nature of the defects and whether construction-related lapses occurred.
