Noida Twin Towers Demolition: Illegal, Unsafe Buildings Razed Using Explosives in Past Too

A day after the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of Supertech Ltd?s twin 40-storey towers under construction in Uttar Pradesh?s Noida within three months for violation of building norms, it is being reported that explosives are likely to be used to demolish such a tall building.

In this technique, small explosive devices are placed at multiple locations in the building in such a manner that when detonated, the debris falls within the premises. While such demolitions have been done worldwide, and on a smaller scale in India as well, it requires much preparation.

The twin 40-storey towers in Noida’s Supertech Emerald Court containing around 1,000 flats will be demolished within a period of three months following Supreme Court’s orders on Tuesday. The apex court said that the real estate company will raze the construction at its own cost.

Here?s how some buildings in India were demolished using explosives:

Maradu Flats in Ernakulam

Four multi-storey illegal apartment complexes at Maradu near Ernakulam district in Kerala, the first of the high-end flats went down in a controlled explosion on January 11, 2020, leaving behind a huge cloud of dust. The demolition was carried out at 11 am, when the first building, named H20 Holy Faith, was razed to the ground within seconds, followed by the second demolition of Alfa Serene building. The final round of demolition of Jain Coral Cave and Golden Kayaloram flats took place the next day.

The Maradu complex had 356 flats in four buildings and had housed 240 families. After all the occupants moved out, authorities had removed all the windows and other things from the building and all what remained was a skeleton structure.

The Supreme Court apex court had on September 6, 2019 ordered its demolition by September 20, 2019 for violating the Coastal Regulation Zone Arules, but Kerala government dilly dallied it.

It was only after the court pulled up the Kerala government which finally decided that there was no other way out but to get ready for the demolition.

After various rounds of discussions the date was finalised and through an open tender process, the demolition was handed over to companies who have done similar operations in the past.

Moulivakkam Building in Chennai

An 11-storey building that was declared unsafe after an adjacent block collapsed in 2014 was demolished in November 2016 using implosion technique in less than ten seconds, amid tight security. The building fell like a pack of cards and thick, huge columns of smoke engulfed the area with birds scurrying to safety.

Columns in the 11-storeyed structure were filled with explosive substances and brought down using implosion technique, employing controlled blasting of explosives.

On 28 June, 2014, one of the two blocks of an under construction residential building at suburban Moulivakkam had collapsed, killing 61 workers and injuring scores of people. That collapsed structure was also 11-storeyed. Subsequently, the adjacent block too was declared unsafe by the authorities. An order for demolition of the unsafe structure was then issued under 141 Cr P C. When the matter went to the Supreme Court, it allowed the building to be brought down after perusing an expert committee?s report.

Mansarovar Heritage Apartment Complex in Jaipur

In September 2012, three blocks of nine-storied buildings belonging to Era Constructions at the Mansarovar Heritage Apartment Complex were demolished by officials of Jaipur Development Authority within five seconds. The buildings were demolished after orders were passed from Rajasthan High Court.

According to a report published in India TV, the blocks E, B and F out of a total of nine blocks were coming in the way of Aminashah Nallah water flow, and the court had declared the construction as ?illegal?.

To demolish the buildings, explosive experts were called in, who first fenced the 100-metre surrounding area where no one was allowed to enter, and then fixed wires with explosives in the buildings.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.