Madurai corporation lays safety norms to remove arches

Madurai: Having learnt a lesson from a fatal arch demolition near Mattuthavani that claimed a worker’s life in Feb, Madurai corporation has built a series of engineering safeguards into its plan to remove three landmark arches across the city.

The new tender mandates controlled demolition and crane-assisted dismantling of arches at KK Nagar, Pasumalai and Villapuram. It also prohibits bringing down structures through sudden impact or force and requires stability checks at every stage

The demolition plan follows a Madras high court direction in 2024 to remove Mattuthavani, KK Nagar and other arches hindering free traffic flow in the city. A PIL was filed stating that the structures, originally built to mark city entry points, had outlived their purpose and were creating bottlenecks at busy junctions.

When the Mattuthavani arch was demolished, operators attempted to bring down the structure by shaking it with earthmovers amid allegations of inadequate engineering supervision. G Mahesh, a structural engineer said, “The arch was not dismantled through a controlled process. It should have been secured and lowered in stages instead of being brought down at once.”

To avoid such mishaps, the fresh tender requires contractors to dismantle the arches systematically from top to bottom using hydraulic breakers, diamond wire cutters, gas cutters and heavy-capacity cranes.

“We have barred the contractors from following unscientific methods. They will be using cranes to hold and stabilise overhead crossbeams while cutting operations are underway, preventing sudden collapse of structural members,” said a senior corporation engineer.

Motorists welcomed the move. “One leg of the arch at the KK Nagar entrance sits in the middle of the road and hinders vehicle movement. It sometimes leaves motorists confused about lane positioning, especially those unfamiliar with the stretch,” said advocate J Mohan.