Chander Kunj Army Towers in Kochi safe to be demolished, may take about 10 months, says expert team

Demolition of Chander Kunj Army Towers in Kochi, Kerala, worth ₹150 crore may take 9-10 months.

The demolition of the twin towers of Chander Kunj Army Towers worth around ₹150 crore on Silversand Island in Vytilla, Kochi, Kerala, may take nine to ten months for the planning, preparation, demolition and removal of the debris, as per the initial assessment of the team of experts assigned for the demolition.

The Kerala High Court ordered the demolition and reconstruction of towers B and C of Chander Kunj Army Towers developed by the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) citing serious structural problems in February. Since then, the District Collector has formed a committee comprising of experts to oversee the demolition and reconstruction.

The team roped in by the committee, including Anil Joseph, structural engineer, Kevin Smit, operations manager of the South Africa-based Jet Demolition, Uttkarsh Mehta, partner of the Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering, and K. Suresh of the Chennai-based Vijay Steels made an initial assessment of the twin towers on Friday (March 14) morning. The same team was involved in the demolition of the apartment complexes at Maradu. Deputy Director of Disaster Management K. Manoj and the representatives of the apartment owners’ association were also present.

“Among other things, the team assessed whether the damaged towers posed operational threats during the stripping and demolition. They will study the drawing of the building and prepare a plan. The demotion team confirmed that the demolition is possible despite the challenges,” said Mr. Joseph.

“Preparatory measures for the demolition would be further intensified, though the AWHO and the residents’ association would have to reach an agreement, including on the evacuation, even as we remain worried about the safety of the inmates. It appears the residents are planning to file a review petition in the court,” he said.

The team also assessed the safety threats to the metro line passing nearby and the impact on utility facilities such as the pump house attached to the towers to be demolished.

“We can plan and demolish the buildings in six to seven months. There would be many more rounds of assessment as a lot of work needs to be done before the demolition,” said Mr. Smit.