Supertech twin towers demolition: Neighbouring societies prep for tomorrow's blast

As the day nears for the demolition of Supertech twin towers in Noida’s Sector 93A, the lives of nearly 7,000 residents of the two neighbouring societies of Emerald Court and ATS Village will be put on pause for the weekend

As the day nears for the demolition of Supertech twin towers in Noida’s Sector 93A, the lives of nearly 7,000 residents of the two neighbouring societies of Emerald Court and ATS Village will be put on pause for the weekend.

Noida, India- August 26, 2022: A view of Supertech Twin Tower ahead of its demolition at Sector 93A, in Noida, India, on Friday, August 26, 2022. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

These two societies, located within the 50-metre exclusion zone, will be completely evacuated by 7am, around 7.5 hours before the implosion scheduled for 2.30pm on August 28 (Sunday). The piped gas supply to these societies will also be severed around the same time.

Residents, before moving out, have been told to tightly lock their door and windows, keep gadgets on balconies covered, disconnect all electronic items from wall sockets, and take down all wall hangings, wall-mounted televisions, mirrors and clocks to keep them safe from blast impact. The authority and animal NGOs will take of strays while pets will leave with their families.

The security guards will be the last to leave around noon Sunday, after snapping the electricity supply and ensuring that all buildings are empty, and they will be sheltered and cared for by societies in the vicinity.

As D-day approaches, neighbours are nagged by lingering worries despite assurances by the demolition agencies and the authority that their homes will be safe. But not all are worried and anxious; some are also excited and relieved that the illegal constructions will no longer stand.

The overarching emotion, though, is best summed by Anuj Chatturvedi, president of ATS Village apartment owners’ association, a society with 736 flats, four villas, and 1,600 vehicles.

“It has been decided and it has to be done. Some people are naturally worried and concerned, but that is not going to change anything. So, it is better to plan well and execute the plan. Additionally, if there is an expert company whose entire reputation worth billions depends on the success of this blast, they would not go ahead with it unless they are completely sure of its success,” he said.

In Emerald Court, which has 660 flats 1,500 vehicles, people are more elated than nervous.

“We bought this house and moved in recently.Our society and our address is easily identified by everyone these days. Whenever we visit doctors, shops or vegetable vendors, they immediately know that we live in the building near which the demolition is about to happen,” says Sabika Abbas, who lives on the ground floor of Emerald Court.

Her family will leave to stay with relatives in Sector 137 on the day of the blast and return the following morning. Most families in both societies are planning to move out on Saturday, on the eve of the blast, and return on Monday.

Since dust will be one of the main concerns in the aftermath of the blast, some residents are planning to return after a few days, to give the debris and the dust time to settle somewhat.

Sunil Mutreja, a resident of ATS Village, whose flat is among the closest to the twin towers has been dealing with dust for months now. “The noise used to be constant and dust has settled in every nook and surface of our flat for over two months now, since they started breaking down the walls of the twin towers. It has been quiet for the past 15 odd days, when the breaking stopped and the charging (fixing explosives for the blast) began. We do know that there will be huge amounts of dust in our flat after the blast. We plan to move out on August 27 and will return only on August 29; the dust, hopefully, would have settled by then,” said Mutreja.

Sudhir Choudhary, a resident of Emerald Court, said, “The deadline for evacuation is 7am on August 28, but if all of us move out at the same time, it will become chaotic. So, our family will stay with relatives in Gurugram on August 28 and return on August 29. We don’t want to return immediately after the blast as we want the dust and pollution to settle down a bit.”

Chaudhary said many residents plan to remove their wall-mounted TVs, clocks and other home décor items hanging from walls as these may fall and break in the blast impact.

Nikhat Tyagi, a resident of ATS Village, who was selected as a tower manager, said she is waiting for final directives before making her shifting plans. The Noida authority had asked apartment owners of both ATS Village and Emerald Court to appoint managers for every tower and task them with ensuring that the entire tower is evacuated by 8am.

“I will be moving out last and will stay at a friend’s place in Noida itself. I want to stay close by just in case there is an emergency and help is needed. However, my children will be with their grandparents (in another part of NCR) for the day. But even they cannot stay there for long as their exams are on. Many children have the same problem and will have to return home soon,” said Tyagi.

Another resident of Emerald Court, Shailendra Jain, said, “We have already kept our valuables in the bank and will carry documents, IDs and other important stuff with us. We have been reassured that there will be absolutely no damage to the buildings, but we don’t want to take any chances when it comes to the most important things.”

Residents have also been told to cover electronic items in their balconies such as washing machines and external units of ACs. Many other are shifting their plants indoors to keep them away from the dust.

The advisory issued by Edifice Engineering to the residents’ associations mentions that residents in both societies should switch off all electronic equipment and unplug them from wall sockets. Residents should also ensure that all doors and windows are tightly shut.

Even though most residents have made arrangements to stay with friends and relatives on Sunday, a few housing societies have offered to take in those who have no such plans as well as staff and security personnel from the two societies.

“We are extremely grateful that the neighbouring societies have offered to help. They will make arrangements for food and stay at their clubs and common areas so that anyone who do not have alternate arrangements may avail of their hospitality for the few hours of the blast,” said UBS Teotia, president of Emerald Court AOA.

Societies Purvanchal Silver City, Parsvanath Prestige and Parsvanath Prestige will accommodate people from the two affected societies. This will help the security staff, who will be the last to leave Emerald Court and ATS Village around noon, and will return around 4pm, as soon as the exclusion zone is opened.

Additionally, both Emerald Court and ATS Village have asked their security and maintenance staff to cut the main electricity supply before they move out.

Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) has also written to both societies informing that piped gas supply will be cut latest by 6.30am on Sunday.

“After the demolition at 2.30pm, we will check the integrity of the pipeline network and only after the situation returns to normal will the gas supply be resumed to the two societies. Even if we restore supply around 4pm, it will take takes two or three hours for households to get the normal gas pressure. Other than Emerald Court and ATS Village, supply to no other society will be affected,” an IGL spokesperson clarified.