The Gautam Budh Nagar district authority in India's Uttar Pradesh state has green-lit the demolition of Supertech's illegal twin towers this Sunday.
Both the towers - Apex and Cayenne, which are 103 and 97 meters tall, respectively - were built on an area of 750,000 square feet at the heart of Noida city, where other high-rises also exist.
Why Are They Being Demolished?
Supertech proposed the construction of the Supertech Emerald Court housing society in 2004. At that time, the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida) sanctioned the building of two towers of 14 and nine floors, respectively.
However, the real estate firm revised the plan and raised the height of the building to 40 floors.
Upon inspection in 2012, the Noida authority found that Supertech had violated building regulations such as fire safety and the minimum distance between the two high-rise buildings.
Following this, the Noida authority filed a case against its official, as well as Supertech Limited directors, for approving the construction map.
"Of the total Noida authority officials named in the case, 20 individuals have retired, two are dead and four are still serving," the Hindustan Times reported.
In 2014, the Allahabad High Court directed the Noida authority to demolish the twin towers within four months and for the builder to refund buyers with 14 percent interest. Later the same year, the Supreme Court's Chief Justice R.M. Lodha ordered a stay on the demolition order while it heard the petitioners and other parties.
In August 2021, the apex court upheld the Allahabad High Court's initial demolition order, ordering that the cost be borne by the real estate company. "Illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly," the court ruled, adding, "The protection of [the] environment and well-being of the people who occupy this has to be balanced with the need of increasing demand for urban housing."
However, the implementation of the decision was still delayed due to various technical reasons.
How Will the Towers be Demolished?
The demolition process is set to be carried out in 15 seconds when the two skyscrapers will cause an implosion.
Speaking with Sputnik, Mayur Mehta, project manager of the demolition at Edifice Engineering, whose company is handling the demolition, said his team is all set for the process.
He said that about 100 workers are part of the team and about 9,640 are drilling in the apex towers from the basement to floor 18, with the rest expected to fall in on itself in a planned manner. Approximately 3,700 kgs of explosives will be used for the implosion.
Authorities, meanwhile, have taken note of 7,000 people living in about 45 buildings around the demolished tower. Media reports suggested that many will leave their homes for the weekend. Authorities will also vacate 500 meters around the tower, where the entry of animals and humans will be restricted. They will be allowed to return five hours after the blast.
"There is no right or wrong way to carry out the demolition, it's all about experience and good research of that place," Mehta pointed out. "We are 100 percent sure that no nearby buildings will be damaged in any way during the demolition. For this project, we have also partnered with South Africa's Jet Demolitions".
However, crack gauges have been installed at nearby residences Emerald Court and ATS Village to check the impact of the blast on the building.
"Even if somebody's windowpanes cracked (due to air over-pressure), it will be covered under insurance," Mehta said.
The debris will be removed in three months by Edifice engineering, he further added.