The Hindu 18.12.2009
Building demolition goes wrong ?
Staff Reporter
— Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty
Civic authority workers are busy demolishing abandoned government buildings in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
BHUBANESWAR: City administration on Thursday exhibited “crude” form of rescue operation when an unsafe roof collapsed raising fear of people being buried under debris.
The incident took place in Unit- 8 colony within 500-metre distance from the State secretariat at about 2 p.m. on Thursday.
The sprawling Bachelor Barrack building, which was constructed in 1970s to provide accommodation to newly recruited government employees, was left half demolished on Wednesday.
Just when slum dwellers and nearby roadside vendors tried to retrieve iron rods and bricks from site during the daytime, the roof fell down.
While a person who received serious injuries rushed to Capital Hospital, some eye witnesses apprehended that there could more people under wreckage.
Bachelor Barack, which was reportedly declared unsafe a decade ago, soon turned an exposition ground of sort. Thousands of people gathered around precariously positioned roofs of other annexed building.
Instead of vacating the area to facilitate smooth rescue operations, police personnel were seen giving people opportunities to shoot the site by their cell-phone sets. Presence of politicians at site also made the matter worse. Supporters standing on flattened roof were seen raising slogans in praise of their leaders.
Rescue operation
Moreover, there was confusion which agency should take charge of the rescue operation. Although personnel of fire services were around, they were not properly trained to rescue people from under huge building debris.
Two excavators were immediately pressed into service. Those incharge of overseeing the rescue operation thought that once roof would be moved up, people feared to be buried could become visible. When somebody from crowd screamed that it was a job of skilled Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force, wisdom dawned on city police.
Subsequently, ODRAF teams were called at the site. By that time one and half hour had already passed. By the evening nobody could be traced under the wreckage bringing much relief to rescue managers.
If at all some persons were really stuck under debris, the delay and unscientific way of rescue operation could have proved to be fatal.
However, mayor of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Anant Narayan Jena claimed they had swung into action without losing time. “We had made public announcement warning people not to approach half-demolished structure. People did not pay heed. They collected bricks and iron rods from remaining buildings,” Mr. Jena said. He, however, could not give satisfactory answer when asked why the barrack was not fenced or guarded.
