Explained: Why are Noida's Supertech Twin Towers being demolished? - Know how it all unfolded

Supertech twin towers demolition: Know all about the demolition process, safety precautions taken and why the demolition is taking place.

Pic Credit: PTI

New Delhi: Supertech's illegal twin towers in Noida will be demolished on August 28 and have been charged with around 3,700 kgs of explosives. The towers which are taller than Delhi's Qutub Minar will become India's highest structures ever to be demolished. The builders, on the Supreme Court orders, will be demolishing the 40-storey twin towers on their own expense. The Twin Towers - Apex (32-storey) and Ceyane (29-storey), comprises of 915 flats. But what led to the demolition of the ambitious Supertech twin towers?

Why are Noida's Supertech twin towers being demolished?

The Twin Towers are in violation of several building codes as observed by the Supreme Court. According to reports, the Noida Authority was complicit in sanctioning the building plan. Initially, the plan was to build 14 towers which of 9 floors. Later, around 2012, the new plan suggested twin towers with a height of 40 floors.

Supertech ran into trouble when Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) of the society approached the Allahabad High Court, claiming issues with the construction. In 2014, the Allahabad HC had ordered the builders to demolish the twin towers and refund the buyers' payments. This order was subsequently held up by the Supreme Court in 2021.

Will flat buyers be refunded?

The Supreme Court has assured home buyers that they will receive a full refund of the amount deposited with the builder. The apex court also asked the Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) of the firm, facing insolvency proceedings, to deposit Rs one crore with the apex court registry as per a PTI report.

Lessons learnt from Supertech's 'illegal' twin towers

The demolition of Supertech's twin towers holds many lessons for builders and officials. Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari, in an interview with PTI, said that it is imperative to follow the norms fixed by government and courts. She also warned government officials to stay away from illegal activities or face legal action as are the 26 Noida Authority officials for their involvement in the project.

Maheshwari said the Supertech incident has also led the Noida Authority to revise norms and make them more stringent in disbursal of floor area ratio (FAR) to developers, a move to prevent such episodes in the future.

"This government and the Noida Authority are continuously making efforts to ensure work is done with transparency and accountability. Also whatever new works and initiatives take place, they should be done with the larger public interest in mind so that everyone benefits from them," she added.

How will Supertech twin towers be demolished?

The demolition would be done through a controlled implosion technique for which over 3,700 kg of explosive will be used in the eye-popping event that would also leave behind a whopping 55,000 tonnes of debris to be managed. Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering along with their South African partner firm Jet Demolitions is carrying out the job, which is certain to make it into civil engineering feats of the world.

Safety of residents of nearby societies

Around 5,000 residents of two societies will be the most impacted when the structures go down at 2.30 pm on August 28, leaving behind a whopping 55,000 tonnes of debris.
The residents will be evacuated from their homes and allowed to return only after 4 pm following safety clearance from officials. 

Health precautions

Besides the government-run facilities, three private hospitals are also readying themselves to accommodate patients in case of any untoward incident, the officials said.
Over 5,000 residents of Emerald Court and ATS Village "the two closest societies to the twin towers" will be evacuated by 7 am on Sunday. Around 2,700 vehicles belonging to them will also be removed from the premises and the residents will take away around 150-200 of their pets, too.

An exclusion zone will be created at a radius of up to 500 metres around the twin towers where no human or animal will be allowed, except for a team of Indian and foreign blasters engaged in the demolition of the nearly 100-metre-tall structures.

"Six ambulances will be deployed at the site with medical team and medicines. Safe houses will be set up in JP Hospital, Felix Hospital and Yatharth Hospital along with the District Hospital in Sector 30, Noida," Chief Medical Officer Dr Sunil Sharma said.

"There is a likelihood of huge dust from demolition causing health-related issues from seven to 90 days among the nearby residents," Felix Hospital director Dr D K Gupta said.

(With agency inputs)