Supertech's Noida twin towers to be razed on August 21

On May 17, the Supreme Court extended the deadline for the demolition of the illegally-built towers to August 28 from May 22.

The demolition of Supertech twin towers in Noida’s Sector 93A— the tallest structures in the country to be razed in a controlled implosion— will take place on August 21, seven days ahead of the Supreme Court’s deadline of August 28.

The Supertech twin towers at Sector 93A in Noida (Sunil Ghosh/ HT)

The date was finalised on Tuesday in a meeting of all stakeholders with the Noida authority. Earlier, the demolition was scheduled for May 22, but, Edifice Engineering, the company that will carry out the demolition of the 32 storey buildings, sought an extension from the Supreme Court on the grounds that they needed more time for preparations. Accordingly, the Supreme Court extended the deadline till August 28.

Officials said placing explosives at the site will begin about 20 days prior to the blast -- the beginning of August. The area will be cordoned off when the charging process starts and a new traffic plan will be put to place to divert vehicles from the road in front of the building.

“Apart from finalising the blast date, we also addressed concerns raised by residents related to dust and pollution at the site. Edifice Engineering will submit a C&D waste management plan and an environmental management plan by June 30, which will be monitored by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB). Most of the work that will generate dust has been completed at the site,” said Ishtiyaq Ahmed, chief architect and town planner, Noida authority. He said dust mitigation steps such as use of mist sprays and covering of debris are already being carried out at the site. The UPPCB recently inspected the site and suggested a few additional measures, which will be complied with. However, he added that over 80% of the civil work is already complete and very little work remains that may generate dust. Praveen Kumar, regional officer, UPPCB (Noida), said dust and C&D waste management are the two biggest concerns. While steps are being taken for controlling dust during the preparations, extensive covering and layering will be done for dust protection during the blast as well, he said.