Chennai: Almost two and a half years after an 11-storey under construction building collapsed at Moulivakkam in Chennai killing 61 people, its twin tower was demolished in three seconds on Wednesday evening by implosion technology.
The building - called Belief - was demolished at 6.52pm. Initially, the plan was to raze it down between 2pm and 4pm. However, the demolition was postponed due to some technical issues.
The Kancheepuram district administration and the Chennai city police had taken several safety measures before the building was razed down. Arrangements were made at a marriage hall to provide shelter for people who live in a 100-metre radius of the structure during the demolition. The district collector had declared holidays for schools on Tuesday and Wednesday. The police had blocked traffic on the Porur-Kundrathur road.
What happened to Faith and Belief
An apartment building called Faith, which was being constructed at Moulivakkam by Madurai-based Prime Sristi Housing Private Limited, collapsed during rain on June 28, 2014, killing construction workers.
The Supreme Court ordered demolition of the Faith's tower called - Belief - in May this year, after a three-member committee appointed by the apex court pointed to several shortcomings that would have affected the structural stability of the building.
Following this, the Kancheepuram district administration decided to pull down the standing structure. However, the builder approached the Madras high court seeking to quash the order. This led to months of legal battle between the construction firm and the Tamil Nadu government with the latter emphasising on demolishing the standing structure. Later, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions for razing down the 11-storey structure. The apex court ordered to demolish the building on May 12.
The Kancheepuram district collector wrote to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to execute the demolition process. In turn, the planning body appointed Tirupur-based Maglink Infra Projects (P) Ltd to pull down the unsafe structure at a cost of around Rs 50 lakh.
Moulivakkam building being demolished by controlled explosives on Wednesday.
Video: Click Here
The building - called Belief - was demolished at 6.52pm. Initially, the plan was to raze it down between 2pm and 4pm. However, the demolition was postponed due to some technical issues.
The Kancheepuram district administration and the Chennai city police had taken several safety measures before the building was razed down. Arrangements were made at a marriage hall to provide shelter for people who live in a 100-metre radius of the structure during the demolition. The district collector had declared holidays for schools on Tuesday and Wednesday. The police had blocked traffic on the Porur-Kundrathur road.
What happened to Faith and Belief
An apartment building called Faith, which was being constructed at Moulivakkam by Madurai-based Prime Sristi Housing Private Limited, collapsed during rain on June 28, 2014, killing construction workers.
The Supreme Court ordered demolition of the Faith's tower called - Belief - in May this year, after a three-member committee appointed by the apex court pointed to several shortcomings that would have affected the structural stability of the building.
Following this, the Kancheepuram district administration decided to pull down the standing structure. However, the builder approached the Madras high court seeking to quash the order. This led to months of legal battle between the construction firm and the Tamil Nadu government with the latter emphasising on demolishing the standing structure. Later, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions for razing down the 11-storey structure. The apex court ordered to demolish the building on May 12.
The Kancheepuram district collector wrote to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to execute the demolition process. In turn, the planning body appointed Tirupur-based Maglink Infra Projects (P) Ltd to pull down the unsafe structure at a cost of around Rs 50 lakh.
Moulivakkam building being demolished by controlled explosives on Wednesday.
Video: Click Here