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Twin towers, found to have violated norms, demolished in northern India after nine-year court battle

Twin towers, found to have violated norms, demolished in northern India after nine-year court battle

Two illegally constructed towers were destroyed in a historic demolition exercise in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh, after a nine-year-long court battle.

The incident happened in Sector 93A of Noida City in Gautam Budh Nagar district on August 28.

Visuals showed a massive cloud of dust filling the whole area after these two towers were taken down. As a matter of fact, it was like a sea of dust that seemed to engulf the adjacent buildings in the area. These adjacent buildings were covered with long pieces of cloth to prevent the dust from penetrating.

In a matter of seconds, the massive structure was reduced to nothing but rubble. The demolition was carried out by a company called Edifice Engineering and it was done with the help of 3,700 explosives that were drilled into 7,000 holes into the pillars of these buildings.

Multiple explosions in several sections of these two towers ensured that it was razed in quick time. The sound of the explosion was also pretty loud, just like how it would happen in a movie. The debris, that was generated as a result of this demolition is set to be around 55,000 tonnes. It would take around three months to clear it. A Rs 100 crore (USD 1,25,04,450.00) insurance cover has also been obtained for damages to any building in the vicinity.

Earlier in the day, people gathered at the site and were waiting patiently for the demolition to take place. Known as the Supertech Twin Towers, the construction was taken down as it violated norms. The Supreme Court of India ordered the demolition of the structure, which is taller than the historical Qutub Minar and one of the country’s biggest constructions. The two towers are named Apex (32-storey) and Ceyane (29-storey) and it houses around 915 flats.

Residents of the area, who are around 7,000 in number, were made to evacuate the place. Also, traffic on the Greater Noida Expressway was stopped for 15 minutes on either side of the blast. The cost of this demolition was borne by Supertech and the losses are estimated to be around Rs 1,000 crore (USD 12,50,44,500.00). Also, the cost of the demolition would be around Rs 20 crore (USD 25,00,890.00).

According to reports, these towers, built by Supertech, violated several building codes. Initially planned to have 14 towers which would have nine floors each, it was changed in 2012 where a new plan was made, according to which, there would be 40 floors in two towers. Soon, this came to the notice of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) who then took this matter to the Allahabad High Court.

Two years later, the Allahabad High Court ordered that this structure be demolished and flat-owners be refunded. Supertech, the builders of this structure, then appealed to the Supreme Court, who also, after a lot of back and forth, gave the same verdict in 2021, stating that the Noida Authority and Supertech had engaged in, “nefarious complicity.”

The demolition was further delayed as there was an appeal by Supertech to the apex court to review their decision. But the outcome didn’t change as the verdict remained same. The deadline for the demolition was extended to August 28 due to technical issues.

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