SINGAPORE \u2013 A construction company and six people linked to the firm\u2019s project have been charged in court over the Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole incident in 2025 which led to a driver suffering injuries when her car plunged into the pit.<\/p>\n
Ohin Construction and the six individuals were hauled to court on June 11. They were handed various charges, mostly under the Workplace Safety and Health Act and Building Control Act.<\/p>\n
According to court documents, Ohin Construction was to conduct ground support and stabilisation specialist building works at the site but had failed to ensure that the works were carried out in accordance with approved structural plans.<\/p>\n
The licensed specialist builder had allegedly constructed 27 jet grout piles with smaller diameters than stipulated in the plans, and allegedly failed to carry out tests for penetration and strength.<\/p>\n
Jet grouting, which is often used for bracing walls during excavations, involves\u00a0using a high velocity jet of fluids to cut the soil <\/i><\/b>and mix this with a self-hardening grout to form columns.<\/p>\n
There were also issues with the reinforced concrete caisson rings used in the project.<\/p>\n
Caisson rings are concrete structures that provide structural support for deep excavations. They are installed progressively as excavation deepens to prevent soil collapse.<\/p>\n
According to court documents, Ohin Construction created openings in a caisson ring and horizontal grouting works at another ring that were not approved. One of the rings was allegedly cast in a non-circular shape instead of a uniformly circular one.<\/p>\n
The court heard that Ohin Construction has been provisionally liquidated. A representative for the liquidators was present in court.<\/p>\n
The individuals charged in court over the incident included Ohin Construction\u2019s managing director Ivan Ong Khiaw Yang, 64, project director Raajkumar Nadarajan, 58, and project manager Sellappan Saravanakumar, 35.<\/p>\n
Kee Chen Siang, 39, and Yau Tze Yin, 49, identified as \u201cqualified persons\u201d, and resident engineer Senthilnathan Mathyalakan, 56, were also charged.<\/p>\n
Their alleged offences involved unauthorised and non-compliant works, licensing and supervisory failures, testing and monitoring lapses, and the failure to notify authorities of the road depression that had occurred before the sinkhole formed.<\/p>\n The individuals charged in court over the incident included Ohin Construction\u2019s managing director Ivan Ong Khiaw Yang.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The cases will be heard again in court in July.<\/p>\n The large sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South had appeared suddenly at about 5.50pm on July 26, 2025,\u00a0as two lanes of the road collapsed into a large pit.<\/p>\n A woman was taken to hospital after the car she was driving fell into the sinkhole<\/span><\/a> that formed at the junction of Tanjong Katong Road and Mountbatten Road, adjacent to a PUB worksite.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>