Days after their first attempt to 'implode' an illegal building in Hyderabad failed, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) gave the technique a second shot on Monday.
Imploding a building involves using a controlled explosion to bring any structure straight down, thereby avoiding damage to other nearby structures.
While the GHMC claimed that its second attempt was a success, the building was not reduced completely to rubble, as the fourth floor of the construction was still standing after the blast.
Three labourers, who were passing by the building, were also reportedly injured in the explosion, as they did not hear the warning.
Stating that the second attempt was a success, because there was no damage, Deccan Chronicle quoted GHMC Commissioner Dr B Janardhan Reddy saying, “There was no damage to the neighbouring building which is less than one metre away. A 33KV main power line carrying power to Miyapur was live, while the building was imploded and there was no damage to the power line also.”
However, several experts disagreed with the GHMC's conclusion.
Implosion expert SB Sarwate, told The New Indian Express, "Initially, I advised them to drill holes in the columns of ground and first floor and then go ahead with the implosion. This way, because of gravity, the entire building would have collapsed. However, after the first blast, the building tilted and I advised them to drill holes on extreme sides in few columns and go for the blast. But this did not happen."
On May 8, during the GHMC's first attempt, instead of coming straight down in one go, like it was supposed to, the bottom floor of the structure collapsed, leaving the rest of building tilting dangerously.
Watch the video of the GHMC's second attempt below.
GHMC's Experiments with 'implosion' tech take 2. Is it me or does this not seem... demolished enough? #NotAnExpert #demolition #hyderabad pic.twitter.com/kIdVMclvhu
— Ranjitha Gunasekaran (@ranjim) May 15, 2017