Supertech twin towers in Noida to be demolished on Aug 28: Latest details here

Suptertech's 40-storey twin towers - Apex and Ceyane - in Noida's Sector 93A are scheduled to be demolished on August 28 in compliance with a Supreme Court order. The case which ran for nearly 10 years was finally given the nod for demolition on August 31, 2021.

Allahabad High Court in 2014 had ordered the demolition after finding the construction as "illegal". Technical issues and other delays had extended the demolition dates many times.

Supertech has tied up with the Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering firm for the demolition. This will be the tallest buildings in India to be demolished.

Preparations for demolition: The towers are being laden with 3,500 kg of explosives in a process called charging. Around 9,400 holes are drilled in the columns and shears of skeletal structures of the buildings and the explosives are being stuffed into these columns. The process is taking 15 days. Each day, 250-300 kg of explosives are being brought from PESO authorised magazine in Palwal, Haryana. 

The towers will take around nine seconds to be fully demolished.

To minimise the impact of the blast, the engineers have installed nets, clothing and perimeter curtains to create a three layered safety from the dust and debris to the nearby buildings. "Any stray debris will be caught by the geo-textiles being installed between the buildings," Utkarsh Mehta, partner with Edifice Engineering, said to India Today.

The debris: The debris after the demolition is expected to be around 50,000 tons. It will be disposed off in line with the Waste Management Rules, 2016. The debris may either be processed in a construction or demolition waste plant or disposed off in a low-lying area. The dust cloud which will be formed after the demolition will dissipate in 15 minutes. Trenches of 4 metres have also been dug around the blast area to contain the rubble.

Safeguards: Around 1,396 residents who live in the Emerald Court will also be evacuated. The Noida-Greater Noida expressway will be cleared for 20 minutes at the time of demolition. Around 500 police officials will also be deployed for the security purposes during the demolition.

Why the twin towers are being demolished? In 2012, the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of Emerald Court had approached the Allahabad High Court with a claim that the twin towers violated the UP Apartment Owners Act, 2010. The RWA said in the court that the construction was done over an area marked as garden in brochure and that the distance between the buildings were less than mandated 16 metres.

The Allahabad HC in 2014 found the construction as illegal and ordered the buildings to be demolished. It also asked the developers to refund the investors at 14% interest rate. 

In August 31, 2021, the SC upheld the judgement of Allahabad HC to demolish the building. On August 12, 2022, it gave the final go-ahead to raze down the building on August 28, 2022.