Golden Kayaloram, the last of the four apartment complexes ordered to be demolished by the Supreme Court and also the oldest of the lot, sunk down almost vertically as if pressed down from above.
The buildings around, an Anganwadi and a larger flat on the other side, looked more or less intact seconds after what has been termed a precision crash. Nonetheless, the perimeter wall of the apartment complex nearby was destroyed at places. In less than eight minutes, the safety siren was also sounded. The debris had not spilled into the canal nearby either.
The implosion, using 14.5 kg of explosives, was scheduled to begin at 2pm. but it got delayed by nearly half-an-hour. The delay was mostly on account of the extra precaution that officials took to secure a two-storey Anganwadi, which looked like a toy house right behind the towering Golden Kayaloram.
A large geotextile sheet, rising at least double the height of the Anganwadi building, was erected in between the bomb-strapped structure and the Anganwadi. The detonations in the lowest three floors were expected to hurl debris at shrapnel-speed at the building. The geotextile sheet, it now seems, has effectively blocked the flying debris.
The controlled implosion was executed by Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering with the technological support of South African firm Jet Demolition. Edifice had engineered the demolition of three of the flats.
Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas termed the implosion as 'perfect'. “No damage has been caused by the implosion,” he told reporters.
Kochi City Police Commissioner Vijay Sakhare said the implosions went well thanks to an excellent team effort. “All departments worked like a well-knit unit to execute the demolition,” he said.
Meanwhile, Utkarsh Mehta, managing director of Edifice Engineering, said the debris will be cleared from the demolition sites in 45 days. “We will clear the debris in 45 days,” he said.
