Noida prepares for twin tower demolition; more than 60 experts to be involved

DCP (headquarters) Rambadan Singh said, “Edifice Engineering, which has been given the responsibility for the demolition of Supertech twin towers, had filed a letter before the Noida Police for granting an NOC. It has been issued under the Explosives Rules along with requisite terms and conditions.”

The twin towers — Apex and Ceyane — are scheduled to be demolished on August 21 with a cushion period of one week till August 28, as per the directions of the Supreme Court on May 17,  for violating regulations on the distance between buildings. Sources said the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) has sent a list of requirements, which has been forwarded to Supertech and Edifice Engineering, who will submit the required details to CBRI officials by Thursday. A meeting shall be held between the stakeholders on August 6 to discuss comments filed by CBRI.

Once CBRI submits its comments, the Authority shall file a status report, they added. These steps are being taken in light of the July 29 order of the Supreme Court in a miscellaneous application filed by Supertech, wherein the CBRI submitted that it had sought relevant information regarding the blast design, ground vibration, post-demolition debris assessment, test blast, vibration monitoring report, dust cloud along with the structural audit report in respect to the nearby buildings.

Sources said Edifice Engineering has to ensure certain steps for demolishing the 32-floor twin towers, located in Noida Sector 93A — such as no column of the buildings shall have more than five holes and none of the holes will be filled with explosives weighing more than 1.375kg. Additionally, no two columns shall be exploded together and Edifice Engineering will have to remove all explosives safely after the blast whether it is successful or unsuccessful.  An area of around 40 metres from the boundary of the twin towers will remain vacated. The vehicle carrying the explosives shall bring the required quantity immediately prior to the charging of the building, and once explosives are unloaded it will leave the demolition site leaving no explosives there, sources said.

Sources have said the material required for the demolition will be carried in two vehicles, which will include the explosives and detonators. The materials used are specifically made for carrying out demolitions of buildings, sources said. The explosives will be brought from Palwal, Haryana, covering a distance of 100 km, sources said, adding that the wrapping of buildings had already been done in the last week of July using a geotextile wrapping material.

Sources further said that more than 60 people will be involved in the demolition process, which includes seven engineers from South Africa-based Jet Demolition, the company that Edifice Engineering has partnered with. There will be six engineers from Edifice Engineering, and 10 local Indian blasters and the rest will be helpers, sources said. No one will be allowed within the boundary of the building. According to sources, Edifice Engineering and Supertech have submitted most of the documents sought by the CBRI.

Meanwhile, DCP (Traffic) Ganesh Prasad said, “The road opposite Supertech Twin Towers-93 ATS Road will be shut down within the next two days and will be shut until the day of the demolition. Additionally, on the demolition date, the two ends of Noida-Greater Noida expressway will be shut for 15 minutes before the demolition and 15 minutes after until the dust and debris settle down.”

“This precaution has been taken to avoid any untoward accident in the area and to avoid any crowd which may gather on the demolition day,” he added.

A local traffic inspector has been appointed who will look after traffic issues that may arise from Wednesday onwards. The inspector, Dushyant Rana, has been positioned on the road right outside Supertech twin towers, the police said.

“We do not want to create panic among the public at this point or cause any inconvenience. The advisories regarding road diversions will be issued two days before the blast,” Prasad said.

Additionally, a 250-metre area within the demolition site will be completely cordoned off for entry of people on the day of the demolition.