12345 Kolkata: When the KMC team began the demolition work early on Wednesday, the brief to them was clear: pull down the building as safely as possible and make every possible attempt to try and retrieve whatever they could be for the eight homeless families.
Around 1.06 pm, a call came from KMC workers who had managed to step inside a second-floor room using the hydraulic lift. The hammers went silent for the first time in the day. "We have found a blue almirah. Whose is it?" asked one. Immediately, the locality – around 50 odd men and women standing at the three corners of the narrow bylane — repeated the query. The owners, standing at one corner of a dead-end road, rushed ahead.
For the next hour, the KMC team patiently listened to the queries from the flat owners. Several other items were returned to their rightful owners — gas cookers, refrigerators, television sets, as well as idols of gods and the odd toys.
"It will take at least 20 days to complete the operations. We explained that we will concentrate on the top floor. We will first work on the tilted side, with the rubble acting as a cushion for the rest of the building," explained an officer who was also present in the Garden Reach operations.
Dipankar Chakraborty, who has been appointed by KMC from JU, suggested draining of the water tanks. He also suggested cutting out the water supply for the time being and supporting the tilted side by setting up ropes from the other end. "It is too early to gauge the damage to the surrounding buildings," said Chakraborty.
The locals, on their own, helped with the entire operation. From opening their doors to the beleaguered families, arranging drinking water for KMC workers, and even managing traffic, these neighbours seemed to share the pain of those who have been rendered homeless. "Lots of people are suffering due to the fault of a few. If we do not show humanity now, when will we?" asked Abhishek Sanyal, a 78-year-old resident of Vidyasagar Colony.