NOIDA: Scheduled for August 21, the demolition of Supertech’s twin towers at Emerald Court is almost certainly looking at a deferment, with a crucial meeting of stakeholders on Saturday not coming to a consensus on when to begin ‘charging’ the buildings.
‘Charging’, the process to pack 3,700 kg of explosives into more than 9,000 holes that have drilled into the tower’s concrete, was to begin on August 2 and completed within 15 days, according to the original schedule. The Supreme Court has set a deadline of August 28 for the demolition, which gives a seven-day buffer.
But any decision on ‘charging’ now, sources said, is now likely only after August 9 when the Central Building Research Institute completes its vetting exercise and gives its reports to the Noida Authority, which is the nodal agency for the demolition of towers Apex and Ceyane, which will be the tallest buildings in India to be brought down.
Saturday’s meeting, called on the instructions of the Supreme Court, ended with the CBRI seeking additional information from Edifice Engineering, the company tasked with the demolition, and Supertech on dust control and debris management, besides the structural audit of nearby buildings. It also sought a report on safety measures for the underground gas pipeline that passes next to the twin towers.
There was a departure from the timetable drawn up for the demolition after the CBRI told the Supreme Court in the last week of July that it had not been able to evaluate the demolition plan scientifically because vital information on the blast design, ground vibration and other aspects of the exercise had not been shared with it. The Supreme Court subsequently ordered all the information to be shared with the CBRI by August 5 and hold a meeting on August 6.
In the meeting on Saturday, it was decided that Edifice and Supertech will provide all the information and documents sought by CBRI by August 7. The CBRI will submit its final report on August 9, following which the Noida Authority will file a status report in the Supreme Court on August 11, a day before the next hearing. The UP Pollution Control Board was, meanwhile, asked to examine Edifice’s debris management plan – for the rubble that the demolition will generate – and give their feedback within a week.
Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari maintained there is as of now no change in the demolition date. “The demolition is linked to several factors. Once the CBRI report comes in, we will analyse the report and plan. So far, there is no change in the date of demolition,” she said. Saturday’s meeting was attended by representatives of Supertech, Edifice and its partner Jet Demolitions, the Gautam Budh Nagar administration, pollution control board, fire department and others.
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