Report on filling foundation by Feb 15: Sompura

According to Ashish Sompura, the chief architect, engineers of Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) will submit their report to the expert committee by February 15.

The final go-ahead on the filling and other design elements will be given by the expert committee, headed by former IIT Delhi director VS Raju, and the temple Trust’s construction committee, Sompura added.

“The excavation work will take a little more time as we have to dig around 12 metres deep. The work started in the second half of January and will take around 50-60 days. The excavation is a long process as the digging is in slope form to ensure stability of the structure,” said Sompura.

The engineers working on the project had earlier tried using concrete as a filling, but as test piles did not give the desired results, a fresh round of brainstorming had begun.

As per the officials, the options discussed for the foundation include construction underground walls that would extend above the ground.