Preparations for demolition of Supertech twin towers in Noida gather steam

Police officials have started preparing for the demolition of the Supertech twin towers in Sector 93A. The demolition is scheduled for August, but officials said that the final security clearance is pending another round of site inspection.

Police will also need to know in advance about the total amount of explosives being used and get approval from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). Officials said that over 500 personnel will be deployed for security around the building on the day of the demolition.

The team will include static guards, and traffic police for ensuring smooth diversion and management of traffic along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. The expressway might be closed for over 20 minutes on demolition day.

“Apart from properly securing a radius of 200 metres around the towers, which will be completely uninhabited, we will also need to monitor other buildings in the vicinity. We will have to ensure that there are no curious residents peeping out of their windows or others loitering around. Since it is going to be a big event, many people living nearby will be curious and may want to take a closer look. However, they need to understand that it can pose a huge safety risk, hence we must be extremely careful,” said Minakshi Katyayan, deputy commissioner of police (headquarters).

A police escort will be provided for daily transportation of explosives as charging of the building will begin 20 days before the blast. Officials explained that explosives will be transported from the authorised magazine in Palwal to the site, and fixed at the designated spots. Any leftover explosives will be transported back to Palwal and brought again the next day. About 15-20 police officials will be deployed at the building for security every day, with charging beginning tentatively on August 1.

“We will be conducting a mock drill sometime around the first week of August once charging of building starts. It will be like a dress rehearsal so that we are prepared and can work out how to handle the traffic on the expressway, diversions on internal roads, keeping people outside the blast periphery and other details,” DCP Katyayan said.

DCP Katyayan added that arrangements will also be made for ambulances, fire tenders, adequate water sprays and other emergency services.

“We will be meeting the police commissioner on Tuesday to finalise the security details and the plan for demolition day. A team from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) will also be present during the drill for inspection. Most of our preparatory work at the building is over and we have started wrapping of the designated blast floors,” said Utkarsh Mehta, partner, Edifice engineering, the firm that will carry out the demolition.

Officials from Edifice Engineering said that drilling work at the site has been completed, and the building is now not viable for use. Over 9,000 holes have been drilled into several floors that add up to 17 kilometres in length.

Edifice has also completed its survey of neighbouring buildings in a 50-metre-radius of the Supertech twin towers. These include three towers of Emerald Court and four towers of ATS Village. Officials said that any existing cracks or other deficiencies have been noted and will be compared after the blast. However, the vibrations are expected to be minimal and would hardly cause any damage to buildings nearby.

Containers are now being anchored to the ground to create a separation wall from Emerald Court that is just eight metres away. The building is now being wrapped with steel sheets and geotextile fabric, and podium walls and creaking bunks in the basement are being broken down tol act as impact cushions.