Coimbatore: Officials from the Coimbatore Corporation demolished an old commercial building at Lanka Corner near the railway station on Monday.
The corporation’s town planning department has been receiving complaints about the poor stability of the building. Residents complained that the building may collapse any time.
“Last year, a central team visited the building and gave a report saying that it was dangerous for occupation. We had issued a lock and seal order last month to the shopowners in the building,” said a town planning official.
The building houses 12 shops. While owners of seven shops had vacated, five had filed a case against the lock and seal order at the Madras high court. The court ordered that the demolition was necessary in view of the public safety and dismissed the petitions, said the official.
On Monday, town planning officials, along with 25 corporation workers, visited the spot and asked the five remaining shopowners to vacate. With the help of corporation workers, they shifted out the items from the shops and demolished the building.
“We demolished the eastern side of the building. As the western side was abutting a road, we will demolish it in the night when the traffic was less. The demolition process would be completed on Tuesday,” said the official.