Embattled real estate developer Supertech’s Noida twin towers – the structures which are taller than the iconic Qutub Minar – are all set to be demolished at 1430 hours on Sunday. Explosives weighing over 3,500 kilograms will be used to pull down the twin towers located in Noida’s Sector 93A.
Around 500 policemen are deployed on duty, besides an additional 150 to 200 traffic police personnel would be at various points on Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and also along the various roads connecting this expressway in order to stop the vehicular movement near the demolition site.
Explosives, which experts say will raze the structures in about 9 seconds, have been placed inside the twin towers for the past two weeks.
The rise of twin towers
In 2004, Supertech Ltd was allotted land in Sector 93A from the NOIDA Authority for the development of a housing society – which was later named Emerald Court.
In June 2005, in accordance with the New Okhla Industrial Development Area Building Regulations and Directions 1986, the NOIDA Authority approved the building plan for the construction of 14 storeys on June 20, 2005.
The builder got approval to build a total of 14 towers, each with ten storeys and a maximum height restriction of 37 metres. The developer got more land granted for building under the same terms in June 2006.
Out of those 14 towers, the builder erected two towers Apex and Ceyane at the front of the land and increased the number of floors in each tower to 40 floors in 2012. As per the builder, this height fell under the Noida construction requirements of 2010. The Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) moved the Allahabad High Court by the end of 2012. The UP Apartment Owners Act, 2010 was allegedly breached by the Twin Towers.
Residents also alleged that a garden-designated space in the original brochure was encroached upon by the Twin Towers. Homeowners claimed that the buildings were built with less than 16 metres between them, in violation of the law.
In 2014, the Allahabad High Court ordered the demolition of the Noida Twin Towers.
Supreme Court orders demolition
In August 2021, the Supreme Court upheld the Allahabad High Court’s decision and ordered the structures to be demolished, stating that they had been built in violation of the regulations.
The Noida Authority informed the Supreme Court in February 2022 that the demolition work had started and was expected to be finished by May 22. Later as it required more preparation, the demolition deadline was extended by the top court to August 28.
