Century-old building poses a threat to people’s lives; demolition to begin by next week

Nirmithi Kendra will start the demolition of the dilapidated Asraj building complex at Mattancherry by next week and complete it within a month, District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla has said.

He said the demolition would be done in a phased manner to retrieve valuables and artefacts from the building which is over a century old. “The artefacts will be auctioned off and returns will be deposited in the State exchequer,” he added.

The revenue land housing the building complex will be attached to Project LIFE – Livelihood, Inclusion and Financial Empowerment - the State government’s ambitious housing project for the poor.

Mr. Safirulla had last week ordered the demolition of the building complex invoking provisions of the Disaster Management Act. Kochi tahsildar and the fire and rescue station officer had earlier reported that the building might collapse any moment.

Later, an inspection by the Collector confirmed that the building was in bad shape and posed a threat. It also threatened the lives of families in the immediate vicinity of the building.

The debris from the building will be handed over to the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) as the Ernakulam Regional Transport Officer had sought materials for filling the site of the proposed driving test track on Willingdon Island.

The Collector ordered that the MVD should move the debris at its own cost without posing any problem to the nearby residents and their properties. The village officer should ensure that the materials were used for no purpose other than that of the MVD. The service of the Fire and Rescue Department should be availed of in the demolition job and the tahsildar should oversee it.

An official release early this month said that Asraj building was occupied by Pakistanis before the Partition. An apartment complex was being built for nearly 18 families that stayed here. Temporary sheds were also being set up as part of the rehabilitation. The new complex could accommodate about 36 families. Some families had started staying at the apartment even before its completion. They were still using the toilet and drinking water facilities at the dilapidated building.