Experts say at least 5 months needed to demolish Twin Towers of Supertech group

In its order on October 31, the Supreme Court gave three months to the Supertech group to demolish the towers, and directed the Noida authority and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) to supervise the demolition work

Experts studying the Supertech group’s twin towers in Noida’s Sector 93-A, which were constructed in violation of building norms, said on Friday they need at least five months to demolish the structures. They have suggested that the Supertech group plan the future course of action accordingly.

In its order on October 31, the Supreme Court gave three months to the Supertech group to demolish the towers, and directed the Noida authority and Central Building Research Institute to supervise the demolition work. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Mohan Ramanathan, founder and chairman of the Indian Demolition Association and officials of three private agencies from Mumbai, which specialise in demolishing tall towers, visited the twin towers on Friday and accessed the inside of the twin towers. The team entered the tower after the vegetation and debris were cleared from the site as the buildings were lying sealed for the past seven years. “For the first time, we had access to the inside of the twin towers. Earlier, we had visited only the outside premises. To study such buildings, it takes at least a month or two, depending upon the structure and drawings. Once the study is complete, it will take at least another three months for demolition. In this case, it may take at least five to six months to demolish the twin towers. We will calculate the exact time required to complete the whole process once we complete assessing the building,” said Ramanathan, who was involved in the demolition of a 65 metre-long building in Maradu in Kochi, Kerala.

Ramanathan said they used explosives for the demolition of the buildings in Kochi in January 2020, after those buildings were found to be in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone norms by the Supreme Court.

“We cannot say right now whether we can use explosives in this case; that will depend on technical calculations, which will be carried out once the study is complete. This is a difficult case technically because it will be the tallest residential tower ever to be demolished in India, as it is 100 metres in height. We need to assess the consequences because it is surrounded by residential towers,” said Ramanathan.

In its order on October 31, the Supreme Court gave three months to the Supertech group to demolish the towers, and directed the Noida authority and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) to supervise the demolition work. The Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the twin towers as the structure was built in violation of building norms. Two months have already passed since the apex court passed the demolition order.

Experts said they are discussing only technical issues. The issue of the time taken to demolish the twin towers will be taken care of by parties concerned, according to the Supreme Court order.

Experts gave a presentation to the Noida authority officials on Wednesday and informed them of the total time that will be required for the demolition process. They informed the officials that it may take more time as they have to ensure the safety of residents living in nearby towers.

The Noida authority had sealed the twin towers following a Supreme Court order in April 2014. The building was de-sealed on October 26 this year again, further delaying the demolition process.

“We are here to make sure that the Supreme Court order is implemented in totality. We are not concerned with how much time the agency hired for the demolition will take as it is the duty of Supertech to demolish the twin towers as per the court order. What is important is that we carry out our duties as per the SC order,” said Ritu Maheshwari, CEO of the Noida authority.

Chairman of Supertech Limited RK Arora said, “We will communicate all technical issues to Noida authority and the CBRI. We are committed to adhering to the SC order.”