CHENNAI: There was a ghostly silence that prevailed along the area on Usman Road that the police has cordoned off. With eager shoppers scattered all over, bikes whizzing by, cars honking, and commuters bargaining with auto drivers, T Nagar, being the shopping hub of the city, always buzzes with activity. However, all that was missing on Saturday.
The demolition of the charred Chennai Silks building was on in full swing after a nightbreak on Friday. A Jaw Cutter smoothly brought down what was once a sprawling textile showroom. The building was being demolished from the rear side alone, and the huge machine wrecked parts of it from the top first so that the structure didn’t collapse altogether due to weakened lower portions.
Minor fires erupted all day almost every time the machine made contact with the thick electrical cables. The latter ruptured and caught fire, possibly due to friction from contact with metal. Despite repeated minor breakouts of fire, machine operators remained unperturbed as the fire either died on its own or was extinguished by falling debris.
The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Service (TNFRS) too was present on Saturday. “The main role of TNFRS was to restrict and control debris and dust,” said a senior official of the TNFRS. “There were around 10 fire-service vehicles stationed at the spot to put out the fires. Since the temperature stood at 600 degrees, it was relatively simple for the materials to catch fire at slightest provocation. About 30,000 litres of water were used to quell the fire breakouts.”
The debris kept falling dangerously close to the cab (cockpit) of the excavator which could have put the operator in peril. But he managed to skillfully manoeuvre the machine to evade the falling debris. When the amount of debris exceeded the set limit, two smaller excavators with a bracket scoop and shear pincers stepped in to clear out the fallen heaps of debris. There were times that the pace of demolition was stepped up, and both the Jaw Cutter and the smaller excavators demolished the middle and lower portions. This cycle was repeated a few times in the day.
Pipelines, cupboards and unburnt furniture along with concrete were mercilessly ripped out of the building. Scraps of clothing that escaped the fire were visible from the corners of the floors. Only the hydraulic and air-conditioning systems in the top floor remained untouched till evening. The Corporation provided portable light poles to facilitate the deconstruction after it got dark. Police on their part provided tight security in the area, allowing only residents to enter. The demolition work was 20% complete by evening.
Residents in the area have been bearing the brunt of the demolition process as well. “We came back to our flat on Friday after being asked to leave on Wednesday, only to see cracks on our kitchen walls,” said Arasi*, a resident of Viji Flats, which is close to the Chennai Silks building. “We believe this is because of the vibration from the demolition process.”
Arasi added that they had been living in the flat for over 30 years. Interestingly, the excavating machines barely touched the portions where Sri Kumaran Thanga Maaligai, a jewellery enterprise of the same owner, was lodged. It is still unclear as to what the fate of the gold and diamond jewels worth billions of rupees is. The firefighters had not entered the building due to concerns over uncertain stability of the structural ruins.
While the fate of those jewels remains to be seen, jewellers in the area are up in arms. The entire stretch that has been cordoned off is home to nearly 100 shops, a trader said. This estimate does not take into account street hawkers and pavement shops. “We are really suffering,” said Karthikeyan, a jewellery store owner in T Nagar. “The police have told us that the earliest we can except to open our shops is Tuesday. I have incurred losses close to `35,000 because of this incident. While the Chennai Silks owner can boldly say he will set up shop in six months, what happens to the rest of us? He doesn’t follow the rules and we suffer. How is that fair?”