Burnt building to be demolished by GHMC

Gutted beyond recognition, the building has lost its strength and is extremely unsafe for residents as well as for surrounding structures, say corporation authorities

The multi-storey building housing Deccan Mall on Ministers’ Road will be pulled down as it has been proven unsafe for residents as well as for surrounding structures.

The ground plus six-storey building, gutted beyond recognition by a raging fire, has lost its strength, and is extremely unsafe for residents, GHMC authorities informed.

While the decision to pull it down has already been taken and an agency identified to do the job, officials are reportedly buying time for more reasons than one. First is the possibility of the owners raising an objection and seeking legal recourse against demolition, and another is the untraceable bodies of two missing persons who are presumed to have choked to death in the fire.

Experts from the National Institute of Technology, who were requested by the GHMC to evaluate the structural strength of the building, apparently submitted their report, recommending demolition forthwith.

The non-destructive testing could not be carried out to evaluate the properties of the construction material, components and structure, as there still is heavy smoke inside and, probably, residual fire. Nonetheless, experts opined that it was a structure with long spans, very few columns and hence, no redundancy in case a support fails.

“The beams and slabs are post tensioned, hence the extent of loss in the prestress cannot be estimated. For general safety of the surroundings, demolition is recommended,” sources informed.

Meanwhile, GHMC has tied a notice on flexi on the building, asking the owner of the building to remove it, as it is in dangerous condition. Officials said that since action needs to be taken on an expeditious basis, GHMC will bring down the structure, and charge the owner with the costs of demolition.