The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Tuesday asked Hashoo Hotels (Pvt) Limited to get verified the soundness and stability of the structure of Marriott Hotel building damaged by the suicide blast. According to a notification issued by CDA, the hotel administration has been asked to get the building inspected to confirm its strength and stability.
The Authority directed Hashoo Hotels (Pvt) Limited that it is mandatory to ensure that the building is structurally safe. CDA has also nominated five short-listed engineering firms to inspect the structure those include M/s NESPAK (Pvt) Limited, M/s Engineering Associates, M/s Loya Associates Consulting Engineers Architects and Planners, M/s Noor Durrani and Associates and Rizwan Mirza Consulting Engineers.
According to CDA official, the building is likely to stay as only the upper portion of the building was damaged by the inferno after the suicide blast. He said the building is likely to stay as the lower portion of the hotel is comparatively in better condition and the blaze only damaged the upper part of building.
He said the inspection would take a couple of weeks, adding that inspection of Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat took almost one month when it was devastated by a blaze. He said CDA team would also inspect the damaged building once the building inspector submits its report to the Authority. "We are awaiting the inspector's report and recommendation would be made on the basis of that report," said the official.
According to his opinion, the inferno had not caused much damage to the building as no major crack has yet been reported in the concrete. He said such a blaze does not cause any harm to steel if it is used inside the concrete. He exemplified that World Trade Centre had collapsed due to immense heat as the steel used on the outer side could not resist it for long culminating in the collapse of the building.