As Supertech twin towers head for demolition, residents nearby worry about being in the blast radius

The demolition of Supertech's illegal 40-storey twin towers in Noida is scheduled for August 28. However, as the date for demolition draws close, anxiety amongst residents of Emerald Court and those living in the vicinity is palpable. Residents have not been presented with a foolproof plan for the safe bulldozing of the 103-metre tall buildings.

UBS Teotia, President of RWA at Supertech Emerald Court, said, “The judgment has come after 10 years. First the judgment came from Allahabad High Court, then it took 7 to 8 years in Supreme Court. The main reason of delay was that Supreme Court ensured that customers who had booked their flats in these twin towers should be paid their money back. As regards the demolition of the twin towers, the builder is not cooperating. The Noida Authority is issuing the orders and they are trying to press them but the builder is not listening to them.”

The anxiety is real as the nearest building is just 8 metres away, while Edifice Engineering, the company handling the job says that the implosion will be done with explosives between 2,500 kg and 4,000kg. The building will fall inwards in multiple stages, floor by floor. Ten levels will act as primary blast floors and seven as secondary blast floors. The primary blast floors will have explosives in all columns. In the secondary floors, explosives will be in 40 percent of the columns. But the residents are not convinced and fear that the blast could impact the structural integrity of their homes.

Resident Pratap Chakravarty said, “I never knew that this thing is going to come to our head at one point. We knew this was illegal, has to be brought down, but the manner in which we are about to do this is slightly unconventional to our mind as it has never been done in India with the building of this height and calibre.”

“Till now Supertech has not started the structural audit and attending of the repairs in particular which are coming in the implosion zone. Edifice during their part of the presentation, whatever they had committed for the safety, adherence to the compliance norms pertaining to the air quality, noise quality, those are not being adhered. Residents are suffering”, said Resident BV Raisinghania.

Dr Anjan Ray, the director at CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, which is tasked by the Supreme Court to ensure a safe demolition, said, " The CBRI had addressed emails on June 21 and 29, seeking essential details so as to enable it to perform its functions in terms of the directions of the court. We are categorically of the view that Noida, the IRP of Supertech and Edifice Engineering, which is the agency appointed, must cooperate with CBRI and ensure that the relevant information is provided to CBRI.”

The demolition of the two twin towers located here in Noida Sector 93A has to happen as per the Supreme Court’s order. But the demolition now seems to be in jeopardy because Supertech, Edifice, Noida Authority and CBRI, the four key stakeholders do not have answers to the worries, to the questions raised by the residents.