Collector P.S. Leela Alex announced on Friday that the district administration has issued a show‑cause notice to the management of the Church of South India (CSI) church in Manji Krishnapuram village. The notice requires the church to submit land approval documents and no‑objection certificates for the building that collapsed on Thursday. The action follows the death of three workers, including a father and son, and injuries to 11 others when the scaffolding of the under‑construction church gave way. The collector said the notice is part of an investigation into the construction permits.
The collapse occurred during roof‑laying work on Thursday at about 3:45 p.m. A steel scaffold, 20 feet high, had been erected to allow 20 workers to work on the roof. When the scaffold failed, workers were trapped in a mixture of concrete and debris. Rescue operations were launched immediately, but three workers died, while eleven others were injured. The incident happened after the CSI church had been under construction in the village for several months.
Ms. Alex said the administration has requested an explanation from the church authorities regarding the clearances obtained for the construction. She added that, based on the documents and explanation submitted, authorities would take action to seal the site. The collector also confirmed that the state government would provide adequate compensation to the families of the victims, and that the condition of the injured workers was stable.
As a precaution, revenue officials and local police erected wooden fencing around the under‑construction church to prevent trespassing. Tiruvalam police registered a case against a private contractor, David, 50, who was being treated for injuries at CMC’s Ranipet campus, for negligence. The police noted that the CSI church had been built for several months and that the scaffolding collapse was the cause of the fatalities and injuries.
