Kozhikode Corpn. defers demolition decision till NIT-C report
Kozhikode Corporation authorities will take a final call on the demolition of dilapidated buildings in their possession once the expert committee from the Institute of
Kozhikode Corporation authorities will take a final call on the demolition of dilapidated buildings in their possession once the expert committee from the Institute of Technology Calicut (NIT-C) submits its official inspection report to the civic body. “As of now, there is no plan to demolish any buildings. A decision on whether to demolish them or carry out maintenance work will be taken only after the official report from NIT-C is received,” said Kozhikode Mayor O. Sadasivan, confirming that the final decision will depend on the expert committee’s report.
Following the sunshade collapse at the Valiyangadi market in February, which claimed the lives of four headload workers and left another seriously injured, the Corporation council has been actively pursuing the matter, prompting inspections first by the Corporation’s engineering wing and later by an expert committee from NIT-C. After the incident, the Corporation’s engineering wing carried out a detailed inspection of 22 buildings under its ownership and identified seven buildings for demolition, including the old passport office, the Thriveni Building on K.P. Kesava Menon Road, and the Westhill Health department office building.
The list also includes buildings on Cherootty Road and at Puthiyara, as well as market buildings in Karaparamba and Puthiyangadi. However, the council recently decided to take a final decision only after the NIT-C report is submitted, the Mayor said. The NIT-C expert panel audited the 22 buildings that had initially been inspected by the Corporation team. The committee’s report is expected to provide a detailed structural assessment of the buildings based on their risk levels and repairability, which could either confirm or revise the Corporation’s preliminary list.
Despite being flagged as structurally unsafe by the Corporation team, at least seven buildings continue to remain in use without adequate safety measures, exposing workers and the general public to risk. With the NIT-C report still pending and no clear timeline for its submission, residents and traders in the affected areas remain uncertain about how long they will have to continue operating in buildings that have been officially identified as unsafe.
The BriefWire