A test blast to raze down the illegal Supertech twin towers in Noida was successfully carried out on Sunday afternoon. The test blast was carried out around 2.30 pm in the society in Noida's sector 93-A.
A siren lasting a few seconds went off at 2.15 pm followed by two to three sirens at 2.30 pm, moments preceding the test blast.
Edifice Engineering and Jet Demolitions have been roped in by the Noida authority to demolish the Supertech twin towers.
The test blast was carried out with five kg explosives in the Apex tower. This was held to ascertain the amount of explosive, which would be needed during actual demolition of both the towers on May 22.
The Supreme Court had ordered the demolition of Supertech's Apex (100 metre) and Ceyane (97 metre) on August 31 last year as the twin towers had come up in violation of building norms.
The top court had also rapped the local Noida Authority for approval of the project under its watch.
Implosion to take just 9 seconds
Up to four tonnes of explosives could be used to raze down the Supertech twin towers and the implosion of the nearly 100-metre tall structures on May 22 would take just nine seconds, as per earlier reports.
Also, around 1,500 families living in close vicinity to the towers located in sector 93A would be moved out of their homes for around five hours when the implosion takes place at 2.30 pm on May 22.
A stretch of the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway close to the site would also be shut for traffic for an hour, while security personnel would be deployed in the area in large numbers on the day, according to the demolition plan shared by Edifice Engineering.
Sharing a presentation with media on Monday, Utkarsh Mehta, partner at Edifice, said Ceyane (31 floors) will collapse to the ground first followed by Apex (32 floors).
“The building will fall inwards in multiple stages, floor by floor. Ten levels will act as primary blast floors and seven as secondary blast floors. The primary blast floors will have explosives in all columns. In the secondary floors, explosives will be in 40 per cent of the columns," Mehta said, explaining the technical aspects of the process.
The company had previously demolished the 108-metre tall Bank of Lisbon in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2019 with an implosion.
The gap between the structure and an adjoining building there was around seven metres, while in Noida the space is around nine metres, according to officials.
South Africa-based Jet Demolition is providing expertise on the blast for safe implosion and a trial blast would take place ahead of the actual implosion.
"Explosives between 2,500 kg and 4,000kg will be required. A test blast has been planned in the last week of March or the first week of April to optimise the use of explosive vis-à-vis safety measures," Mehta said.
Residents from the exclusion zone (the blast radius) will be asked to move out at least three hours ahead of the implosion and they can return at least two hours after the action.
The exclusion zone includes entire Emerald Court, nearby ATS Greens Village and parts of Parsavnath Prestige, a park and the road in the front of the towers as well as a portion of the Noida Expressway.
Traffic on the expressway would be stopped for an hour, even as security personnel, including police, would be deployed in the area.
