Warning! Fire-hit HC building may collapse any time

Warning! Fire-hit HC building may collapse any time

15 November 2009

HYDERABAD: In a development that can only be construed as alarming, a technical study commissioned by the state government has concluded that the recent fire that gutted a portion of the AP High Court on August 31 this year has caused severe damage to the structure and that the heritage building should not be put to use as there is a ‘possibility of a sudden collapse.’ “The damage to the structural members is indicating a serious instability and possibility of a sudden collapse of the dome, arches and the roof in turn may not be ruled out....In view of the severe structural damage, any restoration may not improve the strength and hence may not be advisable to put the building to use,” the technical report concluded. The government had commissioned M/s Civil-Aid Technoclinic Pvt Ltd to evaluate and submit a report on the extent and cause of damage in the fire that took place in the first and the second floors of the main building of the HC in the early hours of August 31, 2009. The findings of the report was communicated to the registrar of the high court by T Babu Raj, chief engineer, R&B, few weeks ago. Warning that the building may face sudden collapse, the chief engineer said that “since the structure is very badly damaged and the safety of the building is at jeopardy, it is very much desirable to take immediate precautions to protect the building as suggested in the technical report.” According to the technical assessment, the advocates lounge, library hall, conference hall, judges lounge, chambers of the judges, lifts and wooden staircase affecting a total area of 35,000 sqft out of the total 1,10,000 sqft was completely damaged. In terms of the structural damages, the report said the arches supporting the roof structure got destroyed, the supporting stones in the ground and first floor jack arch roofs got loosened, the roof slabs got deformed, and cracks appeared on the central dome with the plastering getting peeled off and exposing the corroded steel girders. The report said the plastering on many chunks of the roof got peeled away, cracks developed in the masonry walls, main supporting girders became deformed at many places and wooden doors and windows got completely gutted. The report recommended an immediate expenditure of Rs 1.59 crore towards protection of the heritage building from further untoward incident. Though the R&B chief engineer gave a tentative cost estimate for protecting the heritage structure, he has indirectly hinted that the current HC building should be preserved as a heritage monument and that it should not be used as a court anymore. This finding has come as a shot in the arm for lawyers who are campaigning for shifting the court from this structure even before a new court complex is built elsewhere.