Noida: 500 policemen to keep watch on day Supertech twin towers are demolished

NOIDA: Over 500 policemen will manage security and traffic around the Supertech twin
towers when they are brought down on August 21.
Officials of Edifice Engineering, the private firm supposed to carry out the demolition, said they
would meet the police commissioner on Tuesday to discuss the security matter. The work on
charging the columns – planting explosives into them after drilling holes – is likely to start on
August 1.
From that day onwards, a posse of policemen would keep watch on the two towers – Apex and
Ceyane. Sources in the company said around 20 cops would guards the premises and allow
only authorised personnel to go inside.

A police team would also accompany the trucks that transport the explosives from a magazine
in Palwal to Noida. This exercise is likely to continue daily for almost three weeks. A police
clearance after an inspection of the site would be needed before the demolition is carried out,
DCP (headquarters) Meenakshi Katyayan said the police planned to carry out a detailed
security drill once the two buildings were charged with explosives. Apart from security around
the twin towers, the cops would also need to manage traffic on the Noida-Greater Noida
Expressway and some of the internal roads. Ambulances, fire tenders, adequate water sprays
and other emergency services would also need to be kept on standby as part of the drill.
Uttkarsh Mehta, a partner at Edifice, said, “We plan to meet the police commissioner on
Tuesday to discuss the security measures. The deployment of cops will start once we begin to
charge the columns with explosives. A fixed amount of explosives will be brought to the site
every day for charging the columns. In case the entire quantity can’t be used, it will be sent back
to the magazine and brought the next day. The premises will turn into a high security zone from
the day the charging starts.”
On the day of the demolition, the expressway and other nearby roads would be closed for traffic
for around 30 minutes in the afternoon, when the buildings are expected to be brought down.
No residents would be allowed in their homes within 200 metres of the towers. The police would
ensure no person or vehicle ventured near the compound.
Edifice officials said a team from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) would conduct a
site inspection on Tuesday.
Officials said the work on drilling the holes – around 9,000 of them – was over and they were
now being draped with iron mesh and geotextile cloth.
A structural survey of the buildings of Emerald Court (three towers) and ATS Greens Village
(four towers), which are within 50 metres of the twin towers, was done, the officials said. The
survey report would be analysed by the CBRI.
Moreover, containers are being anchored to the ground between Emerald Court and the two
towers to protect the residential buildings and underground parking from the flying rubble on the
day of the blast.