Fire-hit building at Minister’s road to be pulled down by Thursday

The demolition of the L-shaped building which comprised five floors had started on January 26

Hyderabad: The exercise to pull down the fire-hit Deccan Knitwear Sports Accessories building on Minister’s Road which continued for over 17 days, reached the final stages with the last of the building to be pulled down by Thursday.

Speaking to Telangana Today, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials said only a small portion of the building was left to be demolished and the building which became structurally weak due to the massive fire, was no longer a threat to the people or to adjoining structures.

On Wednesday, two floors of the structure collapsed and a portion of it fell on the combi crusher machine that was being used for demolition. The machine has been sent for repair and officials said the demolition exercise would be concluded tomorrow.

The demolition of the L-shaped building which comprised five floors had started on January 26 was taken up without even one person entering into the building that was declared structurally weak.

Unlike regular demolitions where the entire structure is bulldozed within a short span of time using earthmovers, razing the fire-hit building on Minister’s road was not an easy task, due to its built-up area, structural instability and because of the residential and commercial establishments in close proximity to it.

Malik Trading and Demolition Agency executed the demolition and the cost to raze it was Rs 41 lakh excluding the tipping fee that needs to be paid for the transportation of the debris, which is expected to be around 20,000 metric tons. “The demolition cost and charges for transportation of debris will be paid by the building owner,” said a GHMC official.