As the doomed buildings went down, a cloud of dust swirls around Noida's Sector 93A. Now the cleaning process is underway in the vicinity of the Supertech Twin Towers that were demolished.
The demolition of 915 residential flats and 21 shops has left an estimated 35,000 cubic metres or 55,000 tonnes to 80,000 tonnes of debris, including concrete rubble, steel, and iron bars.
According to Edifice Engineering partner Utkarsh Mehta, at first, the debris will be processed at the site. After that, it would be taken to construction and demolition waste processing centres.
As per the officials, the debris would be cleared within three months.
Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari said that the dust generation and the clearance of the debris were two of the most crucial concerns among residents of two of the nearest housing societies Emerald Court and ATS Village with the Noida Authority ahead of the demolition.
Maheshwari had earlier said smoke guns, water tankers, and mechanical sweeping machines will be installed to help in the cleaning process. She also mentioned that the Noida Authority will deploy its sanitation team at the site.
She added that about 20,000 to 25,000 tonnes of debris will be scientifically disposed of in three months, while the remaining will be used at the site itself for filing purposes.
Maheswari also informed that 10 metres boundary wall of a nearby society, ATS has been damaged after being hit by the debris.
The Supertech twin towers in Noida, which are taller than the Qutub Minar in the national capital, were brought down with explosives weighing at least 3,700 kg yesterday.
In the biggest such demolition seen in the country, the floors of the twin towers collapsed onto each other in a stack as thousands watched from vantage points outside the 'exclusion zone' in Noida's sector-93 on the outskirts of New Delhi.
A team from Edifice and South Africa’s Jet Demolitions carried out the challenging task.
The Supreme Court had on August 31, 2021, ordered the demolition, upholding a verdict by the Allahabad High Court. It said Supertech Ltd had violated building norms and pointed at "collusion" with Noida district officials in the Emerald Court project.
It held that illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law.
The Noida Authority, which had approved the building maps, oversaw the mega demolition exercise.
In 2011, the Residents Welfare Association filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court. It was alleged that the UP Apartment Owners Act, 2010 was breached during the construction of the towers. The homeowners claimed that the two towers had less than 16 metres of distance between them which violated the law. The original space designated for the garden in the original plan was allegedly used to erect the twin towers.
In 2012, the Authority approved the new plan proposed in 2009, ahead of the commencement of the hearing in the Allahabad High Court. In April 2014, the Allahabad High Court delivered the judgment in favour of the RWA while also passing an order to demolish the twin towers. It asked Supertech to demolish the towers at its own expense and also refund the money of the homebuyers along with 14% interest.
In May 2014, the Noida Authority and Supertech moved to the Supreme Court stating that the construction of the twin towers was according to the regulations.
In August 2021, however, the Supreme Court affirmed the order of the Allahabad High Court and ordered to demolish the towers while also stating that the construction had been made in violation of the regulations.
