Down and Dusted: Noida Supertech Twin Towers demolition in 10 points

The historic demolition of the Noida Supertech Twin Towers 'Apex' and 'Ceyane' was concluded Sunday, creating a unique sight lasting for 12 seconds that many citizens watched with fascination.

Noida: The historic demolition of the Noida Supertech Twin Towers 'Apex' and 'Ceyane' was concluded Sunday with the massive structures coming down in 12 seconds thus ending a nine-year-long legal battle.

Here are the latest inputs in this big story:

1. The nearly 100-metre-tall illegal Supertech Twin Towers in Noida were razed to the ground on Sunday at 2:30 pm. The towers were ordered to be demolished for violating construction regulations following a long legal battle in the Allahabad High Court and then the Supreme Court of India which culminated in the favour of the Residents Welfare Association leading to the demolition.
2. With the Twin Towers razed to the ground in 12 seconds, now left behind is the mountain of debris to be cleaned, the completion of which will be concluded in the time of three months, as estimated earlier by the authorities. Certain areas have also been designated for the dumping of waste.
3. The spectacular demolition reportedly left the adjoining houses safe, though the air quality and visibility were recorded as extremely low immediately after the demolition. The surrounding areas were evacuated by 7:30 am as a safety measure, with traffic diversions and a green corridor for emergency rescue in place.
4. A seven-member team of Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering along with a South African-based firm Jet Demolitions was hired for the project and monitored the entire operation.
5. The authorities began the evacuation of the adjacent societies as a safety measure early in the morning. By 7:30 am, about 5,000 residents of the two housing societies adjacent to the twin towers were moved to safer places, while private security and some representatives of the residents' group stayed within the societies till around 1 pm after which both premises were totally vacated.
6. Besides the residents, their vehicles and pets were also moved out. At least 40 stray dogs living in and around the twin towers were shifted temporarily to shelters run by NGOs. An NGO had 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.
7. The instant command centre was equipped with seven CCTV cameras with the traffic experts continuously monitoring all congestion points. As the countdown of the demolition began, the officials ran thorough checks for loose ends. Meanwhile, the residents of the neighbouring societies celebrated the demolition with drummers in place, while the Twin Towers were barricaded and the movement of people around was completely banned.
8. The demolition exercise was executed under a Rs 100 crore insurance policy supposed to cover damage to adjacent buildings if any, while the other costs will be borne by Supertech. The loss of the towers is estimated to have cost more than Rs 50 crore.
9. The demolition was mandated by the Supreme Court after a legal battle that lasted 9 years. After these towers were approved as part of a revised building plan, the residents of Supertech Emerald Court society moved the court citing that the towers were built at a site where a garden was initially planned in 2011. They also claimed that the two towers had less than 16 meters of distance between them which was in violation of the law.
10. The authorities on inspection found further illegalities in approvals, leading to consequent action against some officials. The Allahabad High Court had ordered the demolition in 2014, though the case was further taken to the Supreme Court. The SC upheld the Allahabad HC's decision in August last year and gave three months to demolish the towers. However, due to technical difficulties and other hindrances, it took a year to execute the orders.