Around 200 workers have been deployed to pull down the walls on each floor and drill holes in the remaining structure to place the explosives. (Gajendra Yadav) While workers have begun dismantling the walls of the Supertech twin towers in Noida which were slated to be demolished, the entire demolition itself could still take a while.
On August 30, the Supreme Court had ordered the demolition of the twin towers within three months, for having violated regulations on the distance between buildings, which also has a bearing on fire safety. The expenses for the demolition are to be borne by the developer.
The demolition of the building is being carried out under the supervision of the Noida Authority, by Edifice Engineering, a company selected by the Noida Authority and the Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee.
The company has submitted a blast design for the demolition to the CEO of the Noida Authority.
A supervisor at the site in Noida’s Sector 93A said that around 200 workers have been deployed to pull down the walls on each floor and drill holes in the remaining structure to place the explosives.
Work has been underway at the site from February 12, he said.
On Thursday afternoon, workers at the site were demolishing the walls that would have formed balconies along the front façade of the building.
Other workers tried to keep vehicles and pedestrians away from the building when debris from the walls began falling to the ground.
A source associated with the demolition, who did not want to be identified, said brick walls and blockwork is being removed across the building now. The tentative date for the demolition is May 22, but it is likely to be finalised only closer to the date, the source said.
U B S Teotia, president of the Resident Welfare Association at Emerald Court, said, “The men are working here. Verbally, we’ve been getting information, but nothing in writing yet. There are around 200 people working to demolish it manually.”
On protection for the adjacent buildings in the Emerald Court complex, Teotia said nothing had been done so far. “But they are making a plan and are on the job,” he said.
When asked about the insurance for the adjacent Emerald Court building, Teotia said, “Perhaps, they have done it, but we have not received a copy of it yet. We have asked for it.”
The side of the twin towers that faces the existing and occupied Emerald Court buildings, was covered with a safety net on Thursday.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
