The twin towers in Noida, built illegally by realty firm Supertech Ltd., were brought down within 12 seconds around 2.30 p.m. on August 28 with more than 3,700 kg of explosives.
Neighbouring residents as well as people who had travelled from various place outside Noida witnessed and cheered the demolition from the roofs of the nearby buildings.
Also read: Noida twin towers demolition: Timeline of key events
Ahead of the court-mandated implosion of the buildings, heavy police force was deployed in the area where authorities had also stationed water tankers and anti-smog guns. The roads in and around the twin towers were heavily barricaded with authorities not allowing any vehicles there. The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway is also shut between 2:15 pm to 2:45 pm, officials said. Officials also performed puja in the morning to ensure safe demolition of the buildings.
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Conservationists fear birds killed in Noida towers’ demolition
As the illegally built Supertech twin towers came crashing down everyone seemed ready for the moment but not the birds in the area.
A PTI video showed a flock of birds, including crows and pigeons, taking flight as soon as 3,700 kilos of explosives bored into the pillars and walls of the two towers went off, with clouds of dust chasing them.
Conservationists said some birds may have even died in the demolition.
Sanjay Mahapatra, the founder of House of Stray Animals, said the NGO had requested authorities to conduct a dummy blast or false firing before the final implosion to save the large number of birds in the area.
“Several birds might have died. We have been working to save the animals in the area since August 8. We cannot cage the birds and hence had made the request for a false firing. We are already at the demolition site and checking the area thoroughly. We can only hope that no voiceless life has been lost,” he said.-PTI
Took 12 seconds to raze building
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.
Images depicting demolition of Supertech’s twin towers in Noida on August 28, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI
Boundary wall of nearby society damaged, windowpanes of flats got cracks
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 controlled implosion brings down the twin towers in Noida on August 28, 2022. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
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.
“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.-PTI
Debris at demolition site
Debris lying at the site where Supertech’s now-demolished twin towers stood, on August 28, 2022. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
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. The doctors said most dust particles are 5 microns or less and can remain suspended in the air for a few days in the absence of favourable meteorological conditions like strong winds and rain.
Fire and emergency services at the site after the demolition of Supertech twin towers in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida, on August 28, 2022. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Noida twin towers demolition: timeline of key events
Supertech’s twin towers in Noida were safely demolished on Sunday. The demolition came in pursuance of a Supreme Court order of August 31, 2021 which found that the nearly 100-metre-tall structures had come up in the premises of Emerald Court housing society in violation of building norms.
The proposed premium residential twin towers with space for commercial activities were built by real estate developer Supertech Group after approvals from the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA), popularly referred to as the Noida Authority, which was constituted under the U.P. Industrial Development Act and functions under the State government.
A timeline of key events related to twin towers demolition: 2004: Supertech gets land allotted for developing a group housing project by Noida Authority in city’s Sector 93A after which work started on ‘Emerald Court’ society.
2005: Building plan for Emerald Court approved by Noida Authority. Permission to construct 14 residential towers of 10 floors.
2006: Supertech seeks more land for the project and gets approval from Noida Authority. Building plan amended to accommodate one more residential tower – total 15 now. Aster 1 to 8, Aspire 1 to 4 and Emperor 1 to 3.
2009: Developer gets building plan revised once again. Adds two more towers – Apex and Ceyane --with 24 floors and immediately begins construction. Some residents object to it, citing violation of building norms. Just about 40-50 residents were living in Emerald Court at the time.
2012: Developer revised building plan to increase number of floors to 40 in Apex and Ceyane as construction continued full swing.
December 2012: Emerald Court residents’ association moves Allahabad High Court. Cite lack of residents’ consent for new towers within same housing complex, violation of rules like minimum 16 metre distance between buildings and the new construction coming up in area marked for green space.
2014: Allahabad High Court orders demolition of twin towers. Pulls up Noida Authority for collusion with developer. Construction work stops at site.
May 2014: Supertech moves Supreme Court seeking relief and states all approvals taken. August 31, 2021: Supreme Court orders demolition within three months, observing violation of building norms in collusion with local officials. Remarks that illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law.
February 2022: Noida Authority informs Supreme Court demolition to take place on May 22.
May 17, 2022: Supreme Court extends demolition deadline to August 28.
August 28, 2022: Twin towers demolished. The Emerald Court housing complex developed by Supertech with 15 towers has around 650 flats. If permitted, the demolished Apex and Ceyane towers would have added 915 more flats and 21 shops within the same housing complex and that too in violation of building norms. - PTI
Twitter explodes with mirth, memes and ‘demolition’ humour
As Supertech’s twin towers in Noida were reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds, producing an ominous cloud of smoke, the Twitter also exploded with amusing comments, hilarious memes and dark humour.
While some users tweeted that the “Tower of Corruption” was grounded, a few others said the media’s ground coverage of the unprecedented event was “as if ISRO is sending Gaganyaan to moon”.
The nearly 100-metre-high illegally-built Apex (32 floors) and Ceyane (29 floors) towers -- were razed to the ground using hi-tech engineering techniques. Over 3,700 kg of explosives were used to bring down the structures.
People across the country were glued to their TV sets since afternoon to watch the mega demolition event and a little past 2:30 PM, the twin towers literally became history, becoming the tallest structures to be demolished in India.
Twitterati responded to the demolition with a range of feelings -- mirth, amusement, humour, sarcasm, while some even asked if it was really necessary to carry out the demolition and could it not have been reused for a humanitarian or other public welfare purposes.
“Done and Dusted. #TwintowersDemolition #Noida #NoidaTowerDemolition #NoidaTwinTowers #SupertechTwinTowers #Supertech @indiatvnews,” wrote user @ShivamG2711 and shared a clip of visuals of demolition playing on a TV set.
Hundreds of cameras were placed at various vantage points in the nearby areas, including those brought by crew members of a large number of media houses.
The giant ball of smoke that was raised after the demolition left many people witnessing it on the ground and on TV sets in awe, as the billowing smoke filled the skyline and the screen.
On the ground, many people stood at a safe distance to “enjoy the sight of demolition” withe balloon-sellers and street vendors, selling food stuff, adding a layer of festivity to the environment with some even termed it as a “Supertech Sunday”.
The towers which dominated the Noida skyline, stood taller than Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar (73 m) before being consigned to history. They were under construction since 2009 within the Supertech Emerald Court housing society in Sector 93A of Noida, adjoining the Delhi, and were demolished on the order of the Supreme Court.
“Tower of Curruption of #Supertech grounded. #NoidaTowerDemolition #Noida #SupertechTwinTowersDemolition,” wrote user @BhupendraNegi08.
Another user @A_Parolia tweeted just before the exercise was carried out: “D-Day for these towers who I call Yin & Yang. They are symbol of corruption between the builders & the authorities; but also for the fight, victory & justice for the #homebuyers . May this be a lesson for all, Satyamev Jayate. @jagograhakjago #Demolition #TwinTowers #Supertech”.
Some Noida residents even live streamed it on social media from the balconies. User @akashrai_3575 wrote: “Twin tower History Now! #TwinTowers,” while streaming it on Twitter.
But, the mega demolition also spawned a flurry of memes, with many Twitter users using famous dialogues and stills from Bollywood films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ to add to the ‘demolition humour’.
“At 2:30 people Le Noida people,” wrote a user and shared a clip from a comedy sketch.
Another Twitter user shared a meme with a caption “Noida people right now” and a still from movie ‘PK’, showing the main character played by Aamir Khan, with his face smeared in dust.
One meme even talked of what may have been going in the minds of the engineers: “Engineers before explosion of #TwinTowers and a punchline ‘Bharosa rakhiye purane khiladi hain’. Using humour-laced tweets, many even poked fun at the massive coverage of the event by the media.
“Indian media covering twin tower demolition as if ISRO is sending Gaganyaan to moon.#supertech #TwinTowers #Building #Demolition #news #SupertechTwinTowers @isro, said user @spreemee.
“Noida Twin Tower demolition resembling the fall of Indian Media standards in last one decade! #TwinTowers,” said another user @VishalVerma_9.
With an India vs Pakistan match lined up on Sunday, user @AnasShaikhFzd shared a meme, saying, the excitement level for “#TwinTowers >>>>#TwinTowers” was much higher than for the match.
#Supertech twin towers worth around Rs 1000 cr will be demolished tomorrow using another Rs 20 cr. What a waste of resources! Let’s not even talk about the environmental hazards! Wish the whole mess was handled in a better manner! #NoidaTowerDemolition,” user @_PreScribbles earlier wrote.
Hundreds cheer, clap as ‘structures of corruption’ come crashing down
Hundreds gathered near a ground in Noida to witness the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of 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.
“It felt like structures of corruption were coming down,” remarked Purshotam Mishra [42]as the Supertech twin towers disappeared into plumes of smoke and dust.
“It was incredible. We waited two hours to witness this. It sends out a strong message to strong people,” Mr. Mishra said.
“The towers fell like a stack of matchboxes. What a rush it was,” he exclaimed.
Ashish Suman, who came from Delhi’s Uttam Nagar to witness the demolition, said, “It was worth it.” “It was all over the news for several days. Finally it is over. It sends a strong message to all that corruption won’t be accepted in India,” he said.
Pritam Singh (60) from Noida’s Sector 44 said he waited four hours to witness the “historic demolition”.
Lauding the authorities, Ms. Singh said the demolition “proves” that the government is against corruption. — PTI
People with respiratory issues should avoid area for few days, say doctors
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. The doctors said most dust particles are 5 microns or less and can remain suspended in the air for a few days in the absence of favourable meteorological conditions like strong winds and rain. Massive dust pollution can lead to itching in the eyes, nose and skin; coughing, sneezing, breathing difficulty, lung infection, nasal congestion, asthmatic attacks and aggravate heart problems, they said.
Dr. Jugal Kishore, head of Community Medicine department at the Safdarjung Hospital, said, “The dust particles will remain suspended for quite some time in case of low wind speed. People suffering from respiratory problems -- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and bronchitis -- should avoid the area, if possible.” “They should limit exposure to the affected area for at least 48 hours. Others living in and around the area should avoid exercises for a few days,” he said.
Dr. Kishore said people having respiratory diseases should keep taking medicine regularly and consult doctors if their problems aggravate. Dr Yudhyavir Singh, Assistant Professor, Critical Care, AIIMS, said, “Particulate matter of size smaller than 2.5 microns will be a problem. This is likely to increase episodes of coughing, sneezing, asthmatic attacks, lung infection, nasal congestion, breathing difficulty. Viruses may also piggyback the fine particles and increase infection rate, as it’s the flu season.” “People should take precaution and keep a buffer stock of medicines. Use N-95 masks and eyeglasses till pollutants dissipate. Wear full-sleeve clothes and avoid morning walks for a few days. Consult doctors if problems worsen,” he said.
Supertech says it lost ₹500 crore
Realty firm Supertech Ltd has incurred a loss of about ₹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 p.m. 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 ₹20 crore.
“Our overall loss is around ₹500 crore, taking into account the amount we have spent on land and construction cost, the charges paid to authorities for various approvals, interest paid to banks over the years and the 12% interest paid back to buyers of these two towers, among other costs,” Mr. Arora told PTI.
These twin towers were part of Supertech’s Emarald Court project at Sector 93 A on Noida Expressway. The current market value of over 900 apartments in the two towers is being estimated at over ₹700 crore. - PTI
Noida twin tower demolition: Last moments of evacuation and a sleeping man!
Ahead of Noida twin towers’ demolition, a special task force - a core team of seven members – of Emerald Court pulled off the evacuation of all residents of the society in an exercise meticulously planned over a month’s time.
The residents of the society, where the illegal twin towers were also located, had started moving out from Friday itself .Those who had to leave Noida left earlier while those planning to accommodate themselves in nearby locations waited till Sunday morning.
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.
Emerald Court has 15 residential towers, each having 44 apartments and total around 2,500 residents and 1,200 vehicles. The special task force comprised seven members who are resident of the society. Besides the STF, the society also had a ‘captain’ for each of the 15 towers.
By 7 a.m., almost all of the residents, including children and senior citizens, had vacated the 15 residential premises in a well-coordinated exercise by the society’s special task force.
Emerald Court’s Gaurav Mehrotra headed the task force team that also had Avinash Rai, Amit Arora, Colonel (retd) Rajesh Kashyap, Wing Commander (retd) Mohit Garg, Anil Saxena besides Naresh Keswani. But a little after 7 am, a security guard raised alarm to the special task force about a person being inside a top floor apartment of a tower who appeared to have not vacated! “We got to know about it because of our double verification process for evacuation. It turned out that of all residents of the towers, one had not left. This resident, it turned out was fast asleep inside apartment and totally missed the evacuation deadline,” Naresh Keswani, a member of the special task force, told PTI.
“Somehow, the security guards managed to wake him up and he was also evacuated at just around 7 am,” Mr. Keswani said. - PTI
Demolition of twin towers lesson for all stakeholders, say industry experts
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 interest, 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 exercise.
“This decision is symbolic of the New India that we are living in, which is all about best practices, governance and following the law. We stand by the authorities and Supreme Court in this decision,” CREDAI (National) President Harsh Vardhan Patodia told PTI. - PTI
Demolition of twin towers also demolishes ego of builders, authorities: Homebuyers’ body
Homebuyers’ body FPCE on Sunday termed the demolition of Supertech’s twin towers in Noida as a huge victory for flat owners and said it has also demolished the ego of builders and development authorities.
The Forum For People’s Collective Efforts (FPCE), an umbrella body of homebuyers that played an important role in enactment and implementation of real estate law RERA, added that the responsibility of development authorities should have been fixed in this case.
In August last year, the Supreme Court had ordered demolition of the 40-storey twin towers (Apex and Ceyane), which were part of Supertech’s Emerald Court project in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. There were over 900 flats in these two towers with height of around 100 metres.
“My first reaction when the demolition happened is that it was the demolition of not just the building but also the builders’ and the authorities’ ego and complacency that they could do as they please,” FPCE President Abhay Upadhyay told PTI. - PTI
Noida Supertech twin towers razed to ground
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.
A large cloud of dust rising after the demolition of Supertech twin towers in Noida on August 28, 2022. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
They were the tallest structures to be demolished in India.
The Apex (32 floors) and Ceyane (29 floors) towers were 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 implosion that brought down the building. - PTI
To fulfil grandson’s wish, family travels from Agra to witness twin tower demolition in Noida
Riyaz and his wife have travelled 200 km from Agra in the heat to fulfil their five-year-old grandson’s wish of witnessing the ‘historic’ demolition of Supertech twin towers in Noida on Sunday. His grandson saw a video on Facebook about the demolition and had been pressing his family ever since to take him to watch the court-mandated demolition of the nearly 100-metre tall illegal structures scheduled to take place at 2.30 p.m. Riyaz was among many other people who travelled to Noida from far-flung areas to watch the demolition of the structures despite restrictions on civilians from entering the area.
Riyaz and his family started early on Sunday morning from Agra but after entering the city, they were stopped by police from reaching the area near the twin towers as civilians are not allowed there. “We cannot say no to Akram (grandson). He is the youngest and most pampered child in our house. We wanted to fulfil all his wishes,” Riyaz (49) said. They said they will stay with their youngest son who works in Delhi.
After being stopped by the police, the family said they will be back after some time. - PTI
Wind direction changes ahead of demolition
The wind direction around the Supertech twin towers in Noida 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.
For the last one week, the direction of wind was towards the west but the change was sudden, Regional Officer, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Praveen Kumar said.
“The wind direction today is towards the east. It is expected that dust particles in the aftermath of the demolition would go towards Greater Noida and Bulandshahr,” Mr. Kumar said.
According to the officials, a wind direction towards the west would have been more favourable as the dust cloud and particles would have flown towards an open park instead of the residential parks behind the twin towers.
Besides a huge pile of debris, a major dust cloud is expected in the wake of the demolition at 2.30 pm. It would take at least 10 minutes for the dust cloud to dissipate, the officials said.
Supertech says twin towers constructed as per building plan approved by Noida Authority
Realty firm Supertech on Sunday said the twin towers set to be demolished this afternoon were constructed as per the building plan approved by Noida development authorities and no deviations were made.
Supertech added that the demolition of these two towers will not impact its other real estate projects, which will be delivered to homebuyers.
The nearly 100-metre-tall Apex and Ceyane towers are scheduled to be demolished at 2.30 pm on Sunday in pursuance of a Supreme Court order that found their construction within Emerald Court premises in violation of norms. More than 3,700 kgs of explosives are being used in this operation.
“The Twin Towers Apex and Ceyane in Noida are a part of the Emerald Court project at Sector 93A constructed on land allotted by Noida authority. The building plans of the Project including the two towers were approved by the Noida Authority in 2009 which was strictly in accordance with the then prevailing Building Bye laws announced by the State Government,” Supertech Ltd. said in a statement.
No deviation from the building plan was made and it was constructed after making full payment to the authority, it added.
“However, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has not found the construction satisfactory on technical grounds and accordingly issued orders to demolish the two towers. We respect the orders of the Apex Court and are committed to implement the same,” Supertech said.
The company has awarded the work of demolition to a world renowned agency Edifice Engineering which has expertise in carrying out safe demolitions of high-rise buildings, the statement said. - PTI
40 stray dogs shifted; admin urged to hold ‘dummy explosion’ to save birds
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.
Several NGOs, including House of Stray Animals, Friendicoes, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Happy Tails foundation have pitched in to accommodate the stray dogs temporarily. - PTI
Power, gas supply shut
The supply of cooking gas and power has also been discontinued in the two societies in Sector 93A in view of the implosion planned at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday, an official overseeing the evacuation exercise said.
“The evacuation has been completed. The cooking gas and electricity supplies have been discontinued. They will be resumed after security clearance post demolition later,” a police officer told PTI .
The deserted roads in Noida ahead of the demolition of the Twin Towers on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Besides the residents, their vehicles and pets have also been moved out, the official added. However, private security and some representatives of residents’ group will stay within the societies till around 1 p.m. after which both premises would be totally vacant, the officer said.
The demolition of the two illegally built towers is scheduled for 2.30 p.m. - PTI
Around 500 police, traffic personnel deployed at site
Around 500 police and traffic personnel besides the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed at the area around the twin towers.
DCP Rajesh S, who is the police’s incident commander for overseeing the evacuation exercise, said, “Around 400 civil police personnel were on demolition duty Sunday.” DCP (Traffic) Ganesh Saha said separately 150 to 200 traffic personnel were also deployed across Noida at all crucial junctions to facilitate movement of vehicles in view of restrictions and diversions on several routes.
Incident Command Centre van to monitor the demolition of the Twin Towers, seen in the background at Noida. | Photo Credit: R. V. Moorthy
Mr. Saha said his department was keeping commuters informed about the changes and Google Maps was showing real-time updates on diversions.
“In case of any doubt, people can call up Noida traffic helpline number 99710 09001 for updates,” the officer said. - PTI
