Twin towers demolition in Noida: Security arrangements to be finalised on Monday

Noida: Officials of the Noida authority, Supertech and Edifice Engineering will meet police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams on Monday to chalk out security arrangements ahead of the demolition of the twin towers at Sector 93A on August 21.

The teams will earmark an exclusion zone and everyone within a 50-metre radius will need to be evacuated by early morning on the day of the blast. Traffic will also not be allowed within a 250-metre radius during the blast. It also means that traffic on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway will also be halted for some time, sources said.

“The evacuation will be done well in time for which extensive planning is underway. We know that some towers of Emerald Court and ATS Village will need to be fully evacuated, but the details are yet to be finalised,” said Love Kumar, joint commissioner of police (law and order), Gautam Budh Nagar.

Officials said that in Monday’s meeting, a final decision would be taken in the matters related to safety, security and evacuation of residents living in the vicinity of the twin towers.

“There are several safety and security measures that need to be taken at the meeting, along with our foreign experts from Jet Demolition, the agency which will undertake the demolition. We will finalise the exclusion zone, evacuation plan as well as the traffic management in the vicinity of the twin towers. We have to also make provisions for the safety of important emergency buildings such as hospitals in the area that cannot be evacuated. Additionally, fire tenders and ambulances will be kept on standby,” said Uttkarsh Mehta, partner, Edifice Engineering.

Sources informed that Edifice Engineering needs everyone to be removed from the exclusion zone by 7am on the day of the blast to be able to prepare the site for the blast at 2:30pm. Police suggested that residents should be asked to vacate the place on the night of August 20. However, a final decision in this regard would be taken only on Monday, sources added.

The NDRF team will also be present at the site and will be ready to deal with any emergency. Following the meeting, a site inspection will also be conducted by the joint teams.

Meanwhile, residents of the nearby buildings still have doubts whether the twin towers will be demolished on August 21. There are 660 flats in Emerald Court and 736 in ATS Greens Village, most of which will need to be evacuated.

“We were told that we could vacate our housing society by 11am on the day of the demolition. Now, if we are asked to vacate a day before, then we will have to manage things according to the order. We will need information in advance so that arrangements can be made,” said Atul Chaturvedi, president, ATS Greens Village.

“Some residents are planning to go to the homes of friends and relatives in Delhi, Gurugram and Ghaziabad, while others are planning to spend the day in hotels or clubs”, Chaturvedi added.

Officials from Edifice Engineering said that a campaign will be started to inform people in the neighbourhood about the dos and don’ts during the blast. While those within 50 metres of the twin towers will be evacuated, other residents in the vicinity will be informed through various media about precautions that need to be taken. Residents will be asked to keep all their doors and windows shut, not come to the balconies, cover the external units of their air-conditioners and coolers and keep their children indoors.