Noida Twin Towers Demolished: Both the towers were rigged with over 3,700 kg of explosives. The towers fell straight down in what is called the “Waterfall Technique”.
The Supertech Twin Towers in Noida were demolished today in a major blast. The blast, which lasted around nine seconds, sparked a nine-year legal battle between the residents of Supertech Emerald Court in Sector 93A and the realty over two towers.
Demolition done, the next challenge for the Noida Authority is to clear the mountain of debris generated due to the demolition. Officials associated with the operation had earlier said that around 55,000 tonnes of debris would be generated. It may take up to three months to remove the debris. The waste will be dumped at designated places.
The area was evacuated hours before the blast and measures were taken to ensure that surrounding structures were not affected by the blast. Traffic diversion was planned and guidelines were laid down to deal with any emergency.
Both the towers were rigged with over 3,700 kg of explosives. Explosives were drilled in about 7,000 holes in the pillars of buildings and 20,000 circuits were installed. The explosion was planned to ensure that the towers fell straight down in what is known as the “waterfall technique”.
Around 7,000 residents of the area were evacuated this morning. Gas and electricity supply to nearby buildings has been suspended. They will be reinstated by 4 pm, and residents will be allowed to return by 5.30 pm. Police have asked residents to wear masks indoors to allow them to return to homes to protect against dust.
Traffic has been suspended on the Greater Noida Expressway in the 450 meter no-go zone. Officials said this morning that from 2.15 pm to 2.45 pm, traffic movement will be suspended for 30 minutes – 15 minutes on either side of the blast.
Some of the surrounding buildings are closer than 8 meters from the Twin Towers. There are others within 12 meters. They are covered with a special cloth to reduce the ingress of dust. The area has been declared a one-nautical mile no-fly zone.
The demolition exercise took place under an insurance policy of ₹ 100 crore. This should cover the damage, if any, to the adjacent buildings. The premium and other costs will be borne by Supertech. While the cost of the demolition project could exceed ₹20 crore, the damage to the towers – skeleton as they were – is estimated at more than ₹50 crore.
Mumbai-based company Edphis Engineering was tasked to demolish the two towers. The firm, which has carried out such demolition elsewhere, worked with the Central Building Research Institute and Noida authorities to bring down the towers.
The builder had planned to build 40 floors in each tower. While some of the floors could not be built due to a court order, some were manually demolished before the explosion. One of the towers, the Apex, now has 32 floors. The other has 29. While the apex is 103 meters tall, the cayenne stands at 97. The plan was to have 900+ flats, of which two-thirds were booked or sold. The Supreme Court has ordered the developer to give refund along with interest to those who had bought flats in the structure.
The Twin Towers are being demolished after a nine-year legal battle. Residents of Supertech Emerald Court Society moved the court in 2012 after these towers were approved as part of a revised building plan. He said that the towers were built on the spot where the garden was initially planned. Mistakes were found in the approvals and some officials had to face action. The Allahabad High Court had ordered the demolition in 2014. The matter then went to the Supreme Court. Last August, the court had given three months to demolish the towers, but due to technical difficulties, it took a year.