Demolition of the fire ravaged building on Minister Road begins

The building was severely damaged in fire that erupted a week ago in a garments shop

A minimum of five days and a maximum of a week’s time is required for the fire gutted building on the Minister Road to be completely knocked down. After much deliberations, demolition of the six storeyed building finally began on Thursday night and continued on Friday too.

The building was severely damaged in fire that erupted a week ago in a garments shop, and continued unabated for the next two to three days despite the best efforts by the Fire Services department to douse it. A worker’s charred remains were traced later, while two more workers are missing, and presumed to have been dead.

Experts from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), upon GHMC’s request, conducted tests and estimated that the building’s strength could have been compromised by 60 to 70%. Upon their recommendation, GHMC called for tenders, and handed it over for demolition.

The agency that got the contract has deployed a German make High Reach Excavator machine with a crusher which needs expert hands to manoeuvre it. The machine will begin from the top floor and crush it down floor by floor so that the debris does not cause collateral damage to the surrounding structures. Protective sheets are not being used around the demolition site, because, as no red bricks were used in the building, dust generation would be minimal. Water canons have been kept ready to suppress the rising dust if any, officials informed.

However, the demolition is progressing at slower pace.

“We are unable to predict which side the building would tilt as the demolition progresses, as it has already been severely damaged in fire. We need to move cautiously, and once the top floors are cleared, the process will speed up. We are giving it a week’s time,” shared an engineer on the site.

Already, residents of the surrounding buildings have been evacuated and shifted to safer places, as the structure is susceptible to collapse any time.