The demolition of H2O Holy Faith and Alfa Serene went like clockwork except for an initial delay of 15 minutes for the aerial enforcement of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
District Police Chief (Kochi City) Vijay Sakhare said while the enforcement of Section 144 was complete on land and water, it was not complete on air. As a result, the operation was delayed.
A helicopter encircled the blast sites a few times before the third siren for the demolition of H2O Holy Faith followed by the fourth siren for the demolition of the twin towers of Alfa Serene.
“The fifth siren after the demolitions was delayed because there was some blockade on the national highway, and the sixth siren was for resuming traffic through minor roads and allowing evacuees to return home,” Mr. Sakhare said.
According to District Collector S. Suhas, the operation was a wonderful job executed in a manner beyond expectations. The demolition of H2O Holy Faith was perfect with no debris falling into the backwaters. The falling of a portion of the debris of one of the twin towers of Alfa Serene into the waterbody was purposefully done to protect the adjoining buildings, he said.
“All vibration readings were within the safety limits. Nearby houses sustained only minor damage, and the owners will be compensated as per law. The Kundannoor-Thevara bridge is perfectly safe,” Mr. Suhas said, adding that there would be no complacency in the demolition of the remaining two apartments on Sunday owing to the successful implosion of the first two apartments.
Mr. Sakhare said that while nobody is sure about these things (demolitions), the experts were always very confident. “The collateral damage is absolutely nil. Whatever minor damage incurred was less than what was expected. There has been no perceptible damage to properties,” he said.
The operation was monitored by the Chief Minister’s Office and the Chief Secretary, Mr. Sakhare said. He also praised the hard work put in by Snehil Kumar Singh, Sub Collector and nodal officer for the demolition, as well as all the agencies that made the operation a success. “We will finish it off tomorrow by demolishing the rest of the two apartments and whatever needs to be done for cleaning debris will be done,” Mr. Sakhare said.
