3,500 kg explosives, 500 cops: How Noida's Supertech Twin Towers will be demolished on Aug 28

The twin towers of the bankrupt Supertech Emerald Court project, located in Uttar Pradesh's Noida Sector 93-A, will finally be demolished on August 28. The demolition comes after a nearly-10-year-long legal battle. Earlier, the date for demolition of the towers was August 21. The towers were to be brought down 2.30 pm onward; however, the Supreme Court of India extended the date of demolition on request of the Noida Authority. 

The new date was decided after going through the proposals of all the stakeholders, including the Noida Authority, Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), developer Supertech, and the demolition firm Edifice Engineering. The apex court has also given a 7-day buffer period from August 29 to September 4 on account of technical delay or weather conditions.

How the Twin Towers will be demolished: Supertech company has hired the services of Mumbai-based firm Edifice Engineering. The test blast of the 40-storeyed buildings, Apex and Ceyane, were carried out in April 2022.

• According to the officials, more than 3,500 kg of explosives will be used in bringing the towers down.
• The explosives will be filled in over 9,000 holes drilled in the columns and shears of the skeletal structures of the twin towers, a process called 'charging', before any demolition.
• Around 500 police officials will be deployed for security around the building during the demolition. 
• The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway might be closed for 20 minutes at the time of demolition.
• 200 m of area around the buildings will be completely vacated, and other buildings in the vicinity will also be monitored, Meenakshi Katyayan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) told Hindustan Times.
• A police escort will be provided for the transportation of the explosives since 'charging' of the building, which means loading it with explosives of around 3,500 kg, will start 20 days before the blast.
• Engineers from Edifice Engineering have already completed the drilling work. Over 9,000 holes have been drilled into several floors that add up to 17 km in length.
• Edifice has also concluded the survey of neighbouring buildings within the 50-metre-radius of the Suptertech Twin Towers. This includes three towers of the neighbouring Emerald Court and four towers of ATS Village. 
• Efforts are being made to protect the Emerald Court towers from the impact of blast; given that they are just eight metres away.

A recap: The Allahabad High Court had ordered the demolition of building in 2014 after finding its construction illegal and against the UP Apartment Owners Act 2010. The court had also found that the Noida Authority had colluded with the builders in this illegal construction. The judgment was upheld by the Supreme Court in August 2021.

The towers are now set to be demolished on August 28.