With 90 per cent of the debris cleared, a vacant plot of over 300 square yards replaced the once bustling and crowded City Light Hotel and Bakery building in Secunderabad on Wednesday.
Seventeen lives were lost and 19 sustained injuries when the hotel, a landmark in the area and favourite tea joint for hundreds of residents, came down crumbling two days ago.
For the locals, the hotel was special for many reasons: some loved the tea served there, while others remember it for the Ramzan delicacy Haleem.
The intersection where the hotel was located was earlier known as Ghasmandi Junction. The popularity of the hotel among different sections of people eventually made it the ‘City Light Junction’.
“The disappearance of the hotel has taken the sheen off the crossroads, which witnessed crowds from morning till evening buying tea, snacks and chatting with friends,” said Venkatesh, a businessman, who used to frequent the hotel with his friends.
Rescue operation ends
After the building collapsed on Monday morning, the junction was occupied by policemen and rescue teams, with earth movers and cranes moving around it to remove the debris and save those trapped. The two-day long operations finally came to an end by Wednesday morning, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel announcing that no more persons were under the debris.
