On Sunday night, despite two days of work, the arches of Anna Nagar remained rooted to the spot where they were erected decades ago. The arches are being removed to facilitate the construction of two flyovers at a cost of Rs. 117 crore at the junction of Poonamallee High Road and Anna Nagar 3 Avenue.
Police had given permission to stop traffic beneath one of the arches where a crane held up the arch as work progressed. Even as a large crowd of onlookers gathered in the vicinity, teams of workers were seen working on the arches. Sources said that one of the diamond cutters used to dismantle the arch stopped working mid-way.
Statue taken down
The statue of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai was taken down and workers also broke down the pedestal on which it was installed.
The statue stood in the space between the arches. The arch was constructed by the Madras Corporation at a cost of Rs.12 lakh to commemorate the platinum jubilee of the former Chief Minister.
An expert in demolishing such structures said that instead of using diamond cutters, an easier way was to “drill holes into the structure and fill explosive chemical into the apertures. After an hour or so, the concrete would lose its strength. We usually use this technique when construction is done on river beds. We would cast slightly more concrete than is required and after the concrete reaches the rock layer at the bottom, we would cut off the excess portion on top. Explosives would not be used as it could lead to the weakening od the structure or remove more than is required,” he explained.
Keywords: Anna arch demolition, C.N. Annadurai statue
Heart-Breaking!I am a resident of AnnaNagar for 10 years and still,can't take it so lightly.Can't the highways dept take a different measures to stop this demolish?Why touching this MONUMENT which is built in the name of our former Chief minister ANNADURAI since 1985.Because of too much traffic in the recent times,and to overcome such things,destroying a structure that is built in the great leader time is not a good idea.Though rebuilding the same structure in a different place will loses its originality and its beauty.People are so mean and selfish.This shows there is no respect for the legends in the present and the coming era.The future generations are so unfortunate that they are missing so many great buildings that have now become a hindrance to the current society.We do not know where this is going to end with??"If anything is blocking your way, don't look back, just demolish it."- the current mantra for all the Highways department.CHENNAI-Becoming too WESTERN and no TRADITION.
I fully support the expert's suggestion to go for drilling , filling with chemicals at locations designed and go for either cutting with diomond cutter or jack hammer breaking.For each arch 5 or 6 nos. units of broken segments to be created for easy lifting with cranes. Chemicals used for controlled blasting also can be used as an other alternative. The technicians who will be working to fix chemicals, sling etc to be stationed by man lifts.
Why dont we try using elephants!
The title adds an emotional touch. Sad it has to be taken down though it is a necessity.
In an era of poor construction quality and scams, we need to identify the contractor who built these arches and specially honour him for a job done with sincerity.
Please Email the Editor