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 were under construction since 2009 within the Supertech Emerald Court housing society in Sector 93A of Noida, adjoining the national capital of Delhi.
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Over 3,700 kg of explosives were used in the implosion that brought down the building.
Timeline of key events
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 UP Industrial Development Act and functions under the state government.
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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.
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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.
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(With PTI inputs)
