Around 500 police and traffic personnel besides the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed as the area around Supertech’s twin towers was put out of bounds for civilians ahead of Sunday’s planned demolition of the structures. Road diversions were put in place early in the morning, as the evacuation of all residents from the two adjoining housing societies of Emerald Court and ATS Village in Sector 93A was completed around 8 am. Over 3,700 kg of explosives has been loaded into the twin towers, which are scheduled to be imploded at 2.30 pm, and an area of roughly 500 square metres around them has been converted into an exclusion zone, where no human, vehicle or animal is allowed.
Hundreds gathered near the ground in Noida to witness the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of the demolition of the 100-metres-tall Supertech twin towers cheered and clapped as the illegally built skyscrapers were reduced to rubble on Sunday. While some said the demolition sends out the message that corruption will not be tolerated in the country, others were there for an adrenaline rush.
Ahead of the demolition, authorities had created an ‘exclusion zone’ in a radius of up to 500 metres around the twin towers where no human or animal was allowed except for the team of Indian and foreign blasters engaged in the demolition.
Realty firm Supertech Ltd has incurred a loss of about Rs 500 crore, including construction and interest costs, because of the demolition of its twin towers in Noida, the company’s Chairman R K Arora said on Sunday.
The nearly 100-metre-tall twin towers — Apex and Ceyane — were demolished at 2.30 pm on Sunday as per a Supreme Court order that found their construction within Emerald Court premises in violation of norms. More than 3,700 kgs of explosives were used in this operation. The cost of the demolition itself is estimated at about Rs 20 crore.
The demolition of Supertech’s twin towers in Noida is a lesson for all stakeholders in the real estate industry that accountability will be fixed if they violate building laws, according to industry leaders.
The state regulatory authorities under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 should be more empowered to take action against defaulters and protect consumers’ interests, they added.
Supertech’s twin towers Apex and Ceyane — part of its Emerald Court project in Noida — were safely demolished on Sunday, a year after the Supreme Court had ordered their razing. More than 3,700 kgs of explosives were used in the massive.
“Broadly, no damage to nearby housing societies. Only some bit of debris has come towards the road. We will get a better idea of the situation in an hour,” Noida CEO Ritu Maheshwari.
-NDTV.
