“Improper construction plan has resulted in the collapse of the newly-built road. To save cost, the company had used two pilings instead of three. And in doing so, the firm has also damaged an important water pipeline. Water had seeped below the road surface causing its collapse,” said a KMDA engineer who visited the spot.

Mackintosh Burn, a state government construction firm, is the in-charge of the shopping mall project. KMDA chief Baviskar has ordered an investigation into the incident.

“We will discuss the issue after the investigation report comes out,” said Baviskar after a team of KMDA experts and engineers from Borough 12, where the incident took place, visited the area this afternoon.

This is not for the first time that a road has caved in. In the past six months, several roads have collapsed due to improper construction plans. The worst hit area in the city is Behala, where Kolkata Environmental Improvement Programme is constructing underground sewerage system.

Several houses along James Long Sarani in Behala have developed cracks on the walls because of the ongoing KEIP work.