The
Noida twin towers built by Supertech which is considered to be the highest
building in India- taller than the Qutub Minar- is going to be razed on August
28 on orders of the Supreme Court of India. On Sunday, over 3700 kgs of explosives
brought from Pilwal (Haryana) will be used to destroy the buildings. The
explosive connections will be installed on every floor of the building and it will take an estimated 9 seconds for the charges to be triggered. The demolition costs Rs 20 crores and will be shouldered by Supertech as per the court’s
order.
Also read: Noida twin towers: Why implosion is best demolition option, expert explains
Supertech
twin towers: Location
The
twin towers (namely Apex and Ceyane) are located in sector 93A in Noida. One of
the buildings has an altitude of 103 metres, while another is around 87 metres
tall. The two towers comprise of 915 flats, and the destruction of the ‘Emerald
Court Project’ is going to incur a loss of around 1000 crore to the developer. In the year 2004, the Noida authority allocated land of
around 48,263 sq metres which was a part of Plot No 4 situated in sector 93A.
Why
the towers are being demolished?
In
August 2021, the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the towers as the
construction violated the minimum distance requirement for structures.
According to the apex court, the buildings were constructed illegally without
taking prior consent of the individual flat buyers which is a minimum
requirement under the UP Apartment Act. The court also said that the Noida
authority and Supertech engaged in a ‘nefarious compliance’ violating
construction code and conduct, and henceforth ordered the company to demolish
the structures at their own expense. In 2014, the Supreme Court for the first
time directed the authority to carry out demolition within 4 months.
Also read: CJI UU Lalit sworn in: List of Indian Chief Justices who had fewer than 100-day tenures
Vigilant
flatbuyers
The
gross violation in the construction of the towers came to the forefront only
because of the tireless efforts and negotiations of the homebuyers. They filed the first case in the Allahabad high court in 2012, claiming that
several rules were violated in the construction of the towers.