new Delhi: Two 40-storey towers of realty major Supertech Ltd’s Emerald Court project in Noida will be demolished using four tonnes of explosives in just nine seconds. Quoting officials, PTI reported that the 100-metre-high structure would be demolished on May 22.
For the safety of the residents living around the towers located in Sector 93A, around 1,500 families will be forced out of their homes for about five hours when the blast took place at 2:30 pm on May 22.
People living in Emerald Court, parts of nearby ATS Greens Village and Parsvnath Prestige, a park and the road in front of the towers will be temporarily evacuated.
Read | Supertech Twin Towers to be demolished by May 22: Noida authority tells Supreme Court
A part of the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway close to the site will remain closed for traffic for an hour, officials said. Demolition will be done by Edifice Engineering.
On August 31 last year, the Supreme Court had ordered the demolition of under-construction Supertech Ltd towers within three months for violation of building norms in “collusion with Noida authorities”.
The court said illegal constructions should be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law.
The court had directed that the entire amount to the home buyers be refunded along with 12 per cent interest from the time of booking. It also said that Rs 2 crore should be paid to the RWAs of the Emerald Court project for the harassment caused by the construction of the twin towers, which would have blocked sunlight and fresh air for the existing residents of the housing project.
Utkarsh Mehta, Partner, Edifice, while sharing a presentation with the media on Monday said that Cayenne (31st floor) will fall to the ground first and then Apex (32th floor).
“The building will collapse inwards in several stages, floor to floor. Ten levels will serve as the primary blast floor and seven as the secondary blast floor. All columns in the primary blast floor will contain explosives. In the secondary floor, explosives 40 in The percentage of pillars,” PTI quoted Mehta as saying.
The company had earlier demolished the 108-metre-high Bank of Lisbon in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2019.
South Africa-based Jet Demolition has been roped in to provide expertise for safe detonation and a test detonation will take place before the actual detonation, PTI reported.
“Between 2,500 kg and 4,000 kg of explosives will be required. A test blast is planned in the last week of March or the first week of April to adapt the use of explosives to safety measures,” Mehta said.
The ground work for the blast has been going on for the past several weeks.
This includes removing structures such as electrical fittings, plumbing items, doors and windows. Walls are also being demolished to reduce the amount of debris that would cause an explosion.
Mehta said the company is also preparing two to three layers of wire mesh around the pillars which will be filled with explosives and ‘geo-textile fabric’ will be laid on the ground to prevent the debris from flying uncontrollably.
The blast, he said, would take place away from the premises of the Emerald Court. About 600 families live in the Emerald Court Housing Society and on which the Twin Towers are located.
According to Noida Authority officials, experts will examine the Emerald Court and adjoining buildings to assess the damage after the blast.
In case of any damage, the local people are assured of insurance cover.
Specially designed cushions on the ground will reduce the impact of debris falling on it and reduce vibration.
Traffic on the expressway will remain suspended for an hour. Security personnel including police will be deployed in the area.
Mehta said, “We will need people to clear the entire area during the blast. We have given a report to the Noida authority in this regard, but the final evacuation zone will be decided in consultation with the police.”
He further added, “At the time of the blast, only five persons – two foreign experts, a police personnel, a blaster and the Edphis project manager, will be present in the exclusion zone to carry out the demolition.”