Deccan store building demolition continues with hitches, delays

Hyderabad: More than a week after a devastating fire gutted the multi-storey Deccan Knitwear Sports store building, demolition work was slowed down on Friday as the crew found it difficult to manoeuvre the diamond cutters mounted on a 70-foot crane on one side of the burned-out structure.

This comes after flames shot out from the charred structure on Thursday night. Water spray from the long breaker crane swiftly put out the fire, allowing demolition operations to resume. That there were flames more than a week later was an indication of how severe the mishap was, officials pointed out.

GHMC officials and the police cordoned off the area and shut the main road to avoid untoward incidents since the building is located in overcrowded commercial area in Ramgopalpet. The blaze has claimed the lives of at least three people.

The demolition of the structure began on Thursday night and went on until early Friday morning after a substantial delay caused by a number of technical issues. According to GHMC officials, the six-storey building's corners and joints were weakened by the blaze on January 19, and the long breaker crane began tearing down the building's columns and beams.

Initially, SK Mallu, a private company, offered the winning Rs 22 lakh bid. However, they lacked diamond cutters following which Malik Trading & Demolition was given the tender to raze the building.