The Supertech twin towers in Noida, Uttar Pradesh were finally demolished on Sunday through controlled implosion – almost nine years after the residents went to court over irregularities in the construction.
The demolition was carried out by Mumbai-based company Edifice Engineering along with Central Building Research Institute and the Noida authorities with the help of around 3700 kg of explosives.
The Allahabad High Court had ordered the demolition back in 2014 and in 2021, the Supreme Court said that the order was to be implemented within three months. Although the demolition was delayed by more than a year due to technical difficulties, the authorities were able to ensure compliance of the court order on Sunday.
The order came after the residents of 'Supertech Emerald Court' housing society’ accused the builders of flouting rules. While the initial plan showed that the society was supposed to have 14 towers and 9 floors, they ended up constructing 40 floors in both the towers.
According to the project engineer, the dust resulting from the explosion should take around 12 minutes to settle down.
The rubble from the demolition will also be taken care of by the authorities as they have a plan in place to clear and transport it to the designated spots with the next three months.
According to PTI, 7000 people were asked to move out from the buildings in the area due to safety concerns and they will be allowed back into their residences by 5:30 pm on Sunday after safety clearance.