Five of IISCO Steel Plant's iconic cooling towers bite the dust

Today, emotions ran high as IISCO Steel Plant enthusiasts gathered to witness the iconic five cooling towers of Burnpur for the last time.

- DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY

Love, nostalgia, and memories filled the air, as people looked at the structures that had stood tall for decades. By this afternoon, these prides of the Indian steel industry had become truly 'Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein' (Let go of the old stories) forever, immortalised by the golden voice of Bollywood playback singer Mukesh.

More than 75 years old, the five hyperbolic natural draft concrete cooling towers of ISP were 233 feet high and 157 feet in diameter at their base. While the twin towers of Noida, demolished after a Supreme Court directive, stood at 330 feet, Burnpur boasted five such monumental structures.

"The demolition occurred through structural collapse using controlled explosives. Edifice Engineering of Mumbai was awarded the contract for this project, with support from explosives demolition specialists Jet Demolition Private Limited from South Africa," said Bhaskar Kumar, General Manager (Corporate Communications) of ISP.