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Noida twin towers to be reduced to dust in 9 seconds on Sunday | What led to the demolition
The demolition in Noida is scheduled to take place at 2.30 pm. The stage is set for the safe demolition of in what is expected to be a breathtaking spectacle of engineering to raze down the nearly 100-metre-tall structures borne out of corruption.
After months of anticipation, Supertech's illegal twin towers in Uttar Pradesh's Noida, which are taller than the famous Qutub Minar, will be demolished on Sunday. The demolition is scheduled to take place at 2.30 pm.
The stage is set for the safe demolition of in what is expected to be a breathtaking spectacle of engineering to raze down the nearly 100-metre-tall structures borne out of corruption. Only last-minute inspections remain as the towers will be brought down in nine seconds by a waterfall implosion technique.
Over 3,700 kg of explosives will be used to bring down the structures in pursuance of a Supreme Court order that found their construction within the Emerald Court society premises in violation of norms.
Thousands of residents to vacate societies
As many as 5,000 residents of Emerald Court and adjoining ATS Village societies in Sector 93A have to vacate their premises by 7 am on Sunday while also removing nearly 3,000 vehicles and taking away 150-200 pets, including cats and dogs, with them for the day.
The closest buildings next to twin towers are Aster 2 and Aster 3 of Emerald Court society which are just nine metres away. The demolition would be done in a manner so as not to cause any structural damages to other buildings.
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While nearby Noida-Greater Noida Expressway will be closed from 2.15 pm to 2.45 pm, the city will remain a no-fly zone for drones. The air space within one nautical mile radius above the blast will also remain briefly unavailable for flights during demolition time, according to the Noida Authority.
All work related to the placement of explosives and connecting them is already complete. The only work remaining is interconnecting the twin towers and placing a 100-metre-long cable from the structures to the exploder, from where the button would be pressed on Sunday.
Also Read | Noida twin towers set for explosive finale: Preps of India's biggest demolition
Diversions will be placed on roads leading to the twin towers from Sunday morning while the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, barely 200 metres from the demolition site, would be closed for vehicular movement from 2 pm to 3 pm, DCP (Traffic) Ganesh Saha said.
Google maps will have updated feeds for diversions and real-time traffic situations on Sunday, Saha said, adding that arrangements have been made for the movement of emergency vehicles.
DCP (Central Noida) Rajesh S said around 400 police personnel would be deployed for law and order duty, while PAC and NDRF personnel would also be on the ground for any contingencies.
How it all started
In the mid-2000s, Supertech Limited launched the construction of the project known as Emerald Court. The project included the building of 3, 4 and 5 BHK flats.
According to real estate websites, the flats now have a valuation between ₹1 crore to ₹3 crore. According to the original plans, the project was supposed to have 14 nine-storey towers.
Also Read | Brace for dust, debris as Supertech twin towers crash
But the problem started after Supertech changed its plans. By 2012, it was 15 floors instead of 14. Each building was now supposed to have 11 storeys instead of nine. The changed plan also included two more towers that would rise to 40 floors above the ground. The latter two became the bone of contention between the residents and Supertech.
Green patch gone
Supertech had promised to have a ‘green’ area in front of the tower 1. The ‘green’ area later became the ground on which Ceyane and Apex – the Twin Towers at the heart of the fiasco – would rise.
The third revision of building plans took place in March 2012. Emerald Court was now a project consisting of 15 towers of 11 storeys, and Ceyane and Apex had their heights extended from 24 floors to 40 floors.
Beginning of legal battle
The residents of Emerald Court took this into cognizance and demanded that Ceyane and Apex- the twin towers be demolished as it was being constructed illegally. The residents asked the Noida Authority to cancel the approvals granted for the construction of Ceyane and Apex.
The residents then approached the Allahabad High Court seeking that the court order the demolition of the towers. The HC agreed to the demands of the Emerald Court's residents. In April 2014, the high court ordered the demolition of the twin towers. Supertech then moved the Supreme Court challenging the HC verdict.
The Supreme Court's green signal
In 2021, the top court ordered the demolition of the towers stating that they were constructed illegally.
Supertech again appealed to the Supreme Court to review its order. However, the court refused to budge from its stand on the issue.
Who will demolish?
Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering has been tasked with safely pulling down the structures. Edifice has roped in South African experts Jet Demolitions for the project. The whole exercise is being overseen by the local Noida Authority.
(With inputs from PTI)
