Noida twin towers demolished: No damage to societies around Ground Zero

The peak level of noise during the twin tower demolition on Sunday was recorded at 101.2 decibels in close vicinity, according to official figures.

The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) had installed six machines to measure the ambient noise and the figures of the three places closest to the twin towers were taken for this measurement, officials said.

The three machines were installed at Parsvnath Prestige, Barat Ghar and the City Park – all around 300-500 metres from the blast site. The ambient noise before the demolition was recorded 49.5 decibels at Parsvnath Prestige, 65.9 decibels at Barat Ghar and 56.6 at the City Park, according to the data.

It took 12 seconds to raze Supertech twin towers in Noida to the ground on Sunday, said Jet Demolitions Managing Director Joe Brinkmann. Edifice Engineering hired by the developer for the task had collaborated with South Africa's Jet Demolitions for the job.

A series of controlled explosions reduced the illegally built twin towers to a massive pile of rubble. Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys) were gone in seconds, in the carefully choreographed and meticulously executed demolition -- the biggest such exercise in the country so far.

Power has been restored in Noida's Supertech society four and a half hours after the twin towers were brought down.  

While the twin towers' demolition largely remained successful, a boundary wall of a nearby residential society suffered damage while windowpanes of several apartments developed cracks, officials said here on Sunday.

A Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) pipeline that goes through the now-demolished structures is safe, the officials said.
The remarks came after a preliminary analysis of structural damages shortly after the Supertech twin towers' demolition at 2.30 pm by a team of Edifice Engineering, Jet Demolitions, Central Building Research Institute and Noida Authority.

There appears to be no significant structural damage to the adjacent buildings, officials had said earlier.

"The boundary wall of ATS Village adjoining twin towers suffered damages of about 10 metres. Windowpanes of several nearby apartments in both Emerald Court and ATS Village also got cracked," CBRI Senior Principal Scientist D P Kanungo said.

"The GAIL pipeline is safe. Iron sheets measuring 5 by 5 metres were placed above the pipeline at two locations. Besides, several tyres were also placed on top of them to absorb debris shock," Kanungo said. Earlier, Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari said the demolition was largely successful. Edifice Engineering partner Utkarsh Mehta also described the demolition a success.

As a series of controlled explosions reduced the 100-metre tall twin towers in Noida to a pile of rubble, residents heaved a sigh of relief after officials declared that there appeared to be no damage to the buildings adjacent to the structures that were brought down.

Shortly after the court-mandated demolition of the buildings, officials declared that there appeared to be no damage to the buildings adjacent to the Supertech twin towers but said a more detailed audit is underway.

Hundreds gathered near the ground in Noida to witness the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of the demolition of the 100-metres-tall Supertech twin towers cheered and clapped as the illegally built skyscrapers were reduced to rubble on Sunday. While some said the demolition sends out the message that corruption will not be tolerated in the country, others were there for an adrenaline rush. 

Ahead of the demolition, authorities had created an 'exclusion zone' in a radius of up to 500 metres around the twin towers where no human or animal was allowed except for the team of Indian and foreign blasters engaged in the demolition.

Realty firm Supertech Ltd has incurred a loss of about Rs 500 crore, including construction and interest costs, because of the demolition of its twin towers in Noida, the company's Chairman R K Arora said on Sunday.

The nearly 100-metre-tall twin towers -- Apex and Ceyane -- were demolished at 2.30 pm on Sunday as per a Supreme Court order that found their construction within Emerald Court premises in violation of norms. More than 3,700 kgs of explosives were used in this operation. The cost of the demolition itself is estimated at about Rs 20 crore. MORE DETAILS HERE

The demolition of Supertech's twin towers in Noida is a lesson for all stakeholders in the real estate industry that accountability will be fixed if they violate building laws, according to industry leaders.

The state regulatory authorities under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 should be more empowered to take action against defaulters and protect consumers' interests, they added.

Supertech's twin towers Apex and Ceyane -- part of its Emerald Court project in Noida -- were safely demolished on Sunday, a year after the Supreme Court had ordered their razing. More than 3,700 kgs of explosives were used in the massive 

Team of Edifice, Jet Demolitions, CBRI and Noida officials begin structural analysis of adjacent buildings after Supertech demolition.

As the nearly 100-metre-tall Supertech twin towers were razed to the ground on Sunday, doctors said people living nearby, especially those suffering from respiratory diseases, should take extra care and avoid the area for a few days if possible.

The demolition of nearly 100-metre-tall structures generated an estimated 80,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste and sent huge clouds of dust billowing in the air.   

Several NDRF teams are on stand-by at the spot of the blast. The teams would go in and check the site and other buildings soon. 

"Broadly, no damage to nearby housing societies. Only some bit of debris has come towards the road. We will get a better idea of the situation in an hour," Noida CEO Ritu Maheshwari. 

The Supertech twin towers in Noida were demolished on Sunday, a year after the Supreme Court's direction to raze the illegally built structures to the ground.

The nearly 100-metre-high structures – taller than Delhi's iconic Qutub Minar (73 metres) – were brought to the ground in seconds literally like a house of cards by the 'waterfall implosion' technique, in a breathtaking spectacle of modern-day engineering.

They were the tallest structures to be demolished in India. The Apex (32 floors) and Ceyane (29 floors) towers have been under construction since 2009 within the Supertech Emerald Court housing society in Sector 93A of Noida, adjoining the national capital of Delhi. Over 3,700 kg of explosives were used in the explosion that burned down the building. 

10 black boxes have been installed inside the twin towers for retrieving data post blast by CBRI and edifice.

The wind direction around the Supertech twin towers here on Sunday changed towards east ahead of their demolition, which will make dust particles drift towards Greater Noida and Bulandshahr instead of Delhi, officials said.

The evacuation of around 5,000 residents of the two housing societies near Supertech twin towers here is complete, officials said on Sunday as the stage is set to raze to the ground the nearly 100-metre-tall illegal structures.

At least 40 stray dogs living in and around the Supertech twin towers in Uttar Pradesh's Noida have been shifted temporarily to shelters run by NGOs ahead of the court-mandated implosion of the buildings on Sunday. An NGO has also requested authorities to conduct a dummy explosion or a false firing just before the twin towers are razed in order to save the birds in the area.

Anticipation and excitement filled the area around Supertech twin towers in Noida as the time for the demolition of the nearly 100-metre-tall illegal structures drew closer on Sunday, with officials busy in last-minute preparations to ensure nothing goes wrong. Ahead of the court-mandated implosion of the buildings scheduled at 2.30 pm, heavy police deployment was seen in the area where authorities had also stationed water tankers and anti-smog guns.

Road diversions were put in place early in the morning, as the evacuation of all residents from the two adjoining housing societies of Emerlad Court and ATS Village in Sector 93A was completed around 8 am. Read more 

Residents of the neighbouring Parsvnath Society and Emerald Court Society are set to celebrate the demolition of Supertech's illegal Twin Towers in Uttar Pradesh's Noida. Two drummers have been called outside the Parsvnath Society to play the drums during the demolition exercise.

The officials and the engineers of the Edifice Engineering took stock of the situation after reaching the rooftop of the towers in the morning. As the preparations enter the last stages for the blast, the officials are making sure they that there are no loose ends and are engaged in re-checking every arrangement. The officials are ensuring no technical fault before the blast.

Around 500 police and traffic personnel besides the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed as the area around Supertech's twin towers was put out of bounds for civilians ahead of Sunday's planned demolition of the structures.

The evacuation of of around 5,000 residents in the two housing societies near the soon-to-be-demolished twin towers of Supretech has been completed.