Cracks render Rs 15-lakh GCC tennis court unusable in Anna Nagar

A newly constructed tennis court maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation on Third Street in A L Block, Anna Nagar, has developed multiple cracks across its playing surface only two months after construction. The damage has rendered the facility unusable before players could execute a first serve, raising questions regarding the quality of the work.

The court cost roughly Rs 15 lakh to build. Despite the expenditure, the court's surface deteriorated rapidly, prompting civic officials, the contractor, and technical experts to offer differing explanations for the cracks.

Greater Chennai Corporation Assistant Engineer Nandagopalan said the court has developed 'air cracks' and confirmed that rectification work will be carried out to fix the playing surface.

Contractor Arumugam disagreed with claims of poor work quality, attributing the damage to vegetation surrounding the facility. He stated that roots from trees around the court caused the surface to crack.

"There are many trees around the court. Their roots have caused the surface to crack," Arumugam said. "Rectification works are ongoing. We will ensure this does not happen again. If anything, I will carry out works at my own expense."

However, an expert who runs an academy in Kilpauk stated that damage occurring within months indicates issues with the contractor. The expert explained that the base layer must be properly levelled and allowed to cure before the acrylic or rubber surface is laid.

According to the expert, proper construction timelines must be followed, noting that curing can take around three months. If acrylic or rubber is laid over asphalt before it has fully cured, air can get trapped beneath the surface, leading to structural cracks.