Karunagappally: Built to manage rainwater, a newly constructed drainage beside the FCI godown wall on the railway station road could not withstand the very first heavy downpour and collapsed completely.

It was the heavy rainfall that swept the region on Sunday night that caused portions of the drainage to loosen, crack and collapse. Even sections of its concrete slabs collapsed, pressing against the FCI godown wall during the downpour. The impact left the entire structure damaged, stretching from one end to the other.

Earlier, several complaints had been filed with the railway authorities, warning that the drainage, constructed without reinforcement bars, was at risk of collapsing. These complaints highlighted that no steel reinforcements had been used from the base to the top of the structure and that cement had been inadequately applied.

The drainage, which extends from the old railway ticket reservation office to the new vehicle parking area in the south, was built at a cost of ₹44 lakh. Following its collapse during the first rainfall itself, contractors arrived the next morning with an earth-moving machine to remove the loosened concrete sections that had pressed against the FCI wall.

Taking a serious note of the incident, C R Mahesh MLA  filed a complaint with the Southern Railway Divisional Manager, demanding a detailed investigation and appropriate action.