Supertech twin towers' demolition plan will need more time

Supertech twin towers’ demolition plan will need more time

NOIDA: The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), whose help the Noida Authority is taking to demolish the Supertech twin towers, will need more time to prepare a plan to bring down the buildings. Sources said the team had flagged several practical problems, which could delay the demolition report. According to an order by the Supreme Court, the Noida Authority has to demolish the towers by November.

The CBRI was supposed to have submitted a report by Tuesday and tenders were likely to have been issued this week itself. The research institute has now taken the help of two independent experts to prepare the demolition plan.

On Tuesday, CBRI director N Gopalakrishnan visited the Emerald Court site in Sector 93A to get a better understanding of the layout. He was accompanied by Anoop Mittal, former chairman and managing director of the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) Limited, and Mohan Ramanathan, who heads the Indian Demolition Association.

Sources said the CBRI team would prepare a 3D model that will incorporate all the characteristics of the twin towers and the impact of the demolition on nearby buildings.

During the visit to the site, the team of experts, Noida Authority officials and RWA members of Emerald Court kept discussing the practical problems that needed to be sorted out before the demolition exercise started.

Around 10.30am, the experts gathered at the RWA office and sought the building’s plan and structural design from the Authority officials. Supertech representatives were also called to the site along with relevant documents.

The team then reached the basement of the twin towers to first check the length and width of the columns supporting the structures. Though halogen lamps were put up, inadequate light became a hurdle in taking measurements and exploring the staircase leading to the basement. On the ground floor of Apex tower, the team inspected the distance between Aster 2 and Apex.

Paver blocks were placed to help the team members climb the pavement wall built around Apex.

“The team wanted to check the lower basement of Apex, but could not access it,” said an Emerald Court resident and RWA member, Vinod Srivastava. The officials failed to enter the basement because water had accumulated there after the rain.

Gopalakrishnan and the two others then left for the Noida Authority office for a meeting with chief executive officer Ritu Maheshwari around 12.30pm. Sources said the team of experts informed the CEO about the issues that were yet to be resolved and told her that more time might be required to finalise the demolition report. “We have provided all the information that was required by the team. The CBRI director and the two experts are working on the roadmap. We had a detailed discussion with them and will explore all the options,” Maheshwari said.

Akhil Jain, member of the Indian Demolition Association based out of Delhi, however, said the demolition exercise would not take much time once the report was ready.

“The detailed drawings and structural designs will be studied. Expertise in bringing down the towers is available domestically. So, it will not take much time once the report is ready.”

With the help of drawings, the Noida Authority has been asked to paint columns, pillars and plinths supporting the twin towers in the basement levels.

Officials will also have to arrange for clear photographs and videos of the two basements that could not be captured with drones. The Authority will also have to prepare a traffic plan at least 12 hours before the demolition.