Pre-demolition work on Noida twin towers complete: Sources

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Pre-demolition work for the Supertech twin towers in Noida is 100 percent complete barring some work involving protecting a gas pipeline of Gas Authority of India and covering the towers of the adjoining societies, sources at Noida Authority and Edifice Engineering told Moneycontrol.

“The structure is ready for demolition and we will start the procedure to charge the buildings from August 2,” one of the persons said.

Sources at Edifice Engineering, the private firm tasked with carrying out the demolition, said that it has completed drilling, wrapping and preparation work required before explosives are fixed in the towers.

On July 29, Noida Authority had informed the Supreme Court that the demolition will be carried out at 2.30 pm on August 21.

Two things are yet to be completed. There is a high pressure underground (3 metres depth) natural gas pipeline passing 15 metres from the towers. “The pipeline is restricting our movement to the site,” a person said, adding that the buildings in adjoining societies also need to be covered.

In a related development, on Monday, August 1, the Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation seeking alternative directions other than the demolition of the towers. The apex court has imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the petitioner, saying, “Decision has attained finality, how can you move a PIL in the matter?”

Noida Authority had submitted a status report to the Supreme Court on July 29 according to which all the preparations for the demolition are complete. Almost 60 percent of the work of protecting the gas pipeline has been completed and it is expected that the remaining work will be done in the next 10 days, the report said.

From August 2 to August 20, explosives will be placed in the pillars and during this period all the entry points to the twin towers will be blocked except for employees of Edifice Engineering. Police and fire tenders will be deployed at the site, sources said.

The procedure to charge the twin towers, placing explosives in holes drilled in columns and shear walls is expected to begin from Tuesday, August 2. More than 3500 kg of explosives will be placed in 9462 holes over the next fortnight.

The explosives will be transported from a Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation-authorised magazine in Palwal with an Uttar Pradesh police escort.

Edifice Engineering has also submitted a report regarding disposal of construction and demolition waste. It has estimated that around 36,000 cubic metres of concrete waste and 3500 tonnes of steel waste will be generated.

The Supreme Court on July 29 directed Edifice Engineering, Noida Authority and the interim resolution professional (IRP) of Supertech to provide particulars concerning the twin tower test blasts, the blast design, ground vibration, debris assessment after the demolition, and the vibration monitoring report to the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI).

The top court had asked CBRI to issue a comprehensive note to Noida Authority with a copy to Edifice and Supertech’s IRP, listing the information required by August 1. Edifice and Supertech’s IRP had been directed to send the information to CBRI by August 5 and Noida Authority had been directed to convene a meeting with Edifice, the IRP and CBRI on August 6.

Noida Authority officials told Moneycontrol that a meeting of all stakeholders will be held on August 6. “We will be holding a meeting on August 6. Last-minute details will be discussed at the meeting,” one of these persons said.

Exclusion zone and relocation plan

On the day of the demolition, no resident of adjoining societies will be allowed to remain in the area between 9 am and 6 pm.

The exclusion zone on one side has a radius of 250 metres covering the two residential societies and during the time frame, vehicular traffic on the nearby local road and Noida-Greater Noida Expressway will also remain suspended, sources said.

In front of the twin towers, the exclusion zone goes up to 450 metres and includes a community park and a local road, they said.

Around 5,000 people living in 1,396 flats of two societies in the area will have to move to alternative locations during the demolition on August 21.

Authority sources said that residents will have to vacate their homes in the morning and will be allowed to return by evening. “We are collecting data on how many units are vacant and how many residents are currently residing in these towers. We will take an NOC (no-objection certificate) from every floor. However, if somebody is unwell, the authority may provide assistance if required,” a Noida Authority official said.

The twin towers, Apex and Ceyane, stand amid buildings of Emerald Court, another Supertech project, on one side and ATS Greens Village on the other. Emerald Court has 660 flats and Greens Village has 736, all of which will have to be evacuated. In all, around 5,000 people may be impacted.

Udaybhan Singh Tewatia, RWA president, Supertech Emerald Court, told Moneycontrol that individuals and RWAs are making their own arrangements to move out of their homes on the day of the demolition. “We are trying to make some arrangements with help from some NGOs. With the CBRI now on board, we are now confident that everything will go through smoothly,” he said.

Agencies involved in the demolition are trying to cover all the bases. “We have approached the Airports Authority of India to advise us on whether a no-fly zone is required or not. We are calling them for the meeting on August 6,” a Noida Authority official said.

Agenda of August 6 meeting

At the August 6 meeting, Edifice Engineering will submit all the reports to the Noida Authority and CBRI which are required to be discussed before the next date of hearing on August 12.

The Supreme Court on May 17 agreed to grant three months’ extension for the demolition of the towers. At the request of the demolition agency, Edifice Engineering, the apex court has granted time until August 28.

The demolition agency informed the apex court that it carried out test blasts on April 10 and that the demolition cannot be completed by May 22 as the twin towers' structures are stronger than anticipated and sought more time for the demolition.

Noida Authority chief executive officer Ritu Maheshwari had said on June 7 that the towers will be demolished on August 21, seven days ahead of the Supreme Court's deadline of August 28.

The test blast was carried out on April 10 to determine the exact quantity of explosives needed to bring down the two 40-storeyed buildings that were declared illegal by the Supreme Court on August 31, 2021, and ordered the demolition of the twin towers for violating building norms in “collusion” with Noida officials.

The top court held that the illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law. In February, Noida Authority had told the top court that the demolition work had started and will be completed by May 22, 2022.