Noida's Supertech twin towers to be demolished on August 28; here's a recap

Noida's Supertech twin towers are set to be demolished on August 28, 2022, following the verdict given by the Supreme Court. The apex court previously fixed August 21 as the demolition date for the same.

The demolition has been ordered due to illegal construction of towers and violation of the norms. The Supreme Court upheld the 2014 judgment of the Allahabad High Court, which directed that each of these two illegally constructed towers be brought down in a span of four months. The infamous Supertech twin towers of Noida were constructed in Sector 93-A of Noida.

As the twin tower's demolition date nears, here is a recap of what transpired and the latest developments in the case:

Background

In November 2004, the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) allotted a plot of land to Supertech in Sector 93A for the construction of a housing society, known as Emerald Court. The building plan was sanctioned in 2005 under New Okhla Industrial Development Area Building Regulations and Directions, 1986, which allowed builders to construct a total of 14 towers with ten floors each within a height of 37 meters. In June 2006, additional land was allotted to Supertech under the same conditions. 

After revised regulations in December 2006, new and revised plan was sanctioned, which now included the construction of two additional floors for the towers, two more towers, and a shopping complex. The officials, had now approved 16 towers, and a shopping complex. By 2009, 14 towers were constructed.

Court's Order

According to the 140-page order of the court, "the sanction given by NOIDA on 26 November 2009 and 2 March 2012 for the construction of T-16 and T-17 is violative of the minimum distance requirement under the NBR 2006, NBR 2010 and NBC 2005."

The apex court also observed that the construction of T-16 and T-17 was in violation of the UP Apartment Act, as the owners did not take the consent of flat owners, which was mandatory under the said act. The construction of these twin towers led to the reduction in the common area, observed the top court.

The order also added, "the case has revealed nefarious complicity of the planning authority in the violation by the developer of the provisions of law…The suggestion that the twin towers from part of one block were an afterthought."

The top court also ordered that the flat buyers were to get a refund with 12 per cent interest by Supertech. It also noted that "Supertech will have to pay for the demolition of the illegally constructed towers and will have to pay Rs 2 crore to the Supertech Emerald Court Residents Welfare Association (RWA)."

With its order of demolition of 40-storey twin towers, the court set a precedent and expected to stop the fraudulent practices of builders. 

Advocate Gaurav Agrawal, who was appointed as Amicus Curiae in the case, had earlier suggested that the demolition has to be carried out by a special agency as many residential towers are also in close proximity to these twin towers.

Latest developments

On August 31, 2021, the apex court ordered the demolition of these towers under construction within three months. However, the demolition has been delayed for over a year. In February 2022, NOIDA authorities informed the court that the work for the demolition has commenced and was likely to be finished by May 22. However, on May 17, the court once again extended the deadline to August 28.

Talking to India Today, an engineer working on the project said, "The agency has demanded reports on the structural safety of the nearby buildings, details of the explosions, details of the pit to absorb the shock and the steps taken to prevent any possible damage to any other buildings. Once the agency studies the report and gives us a nod, we will start the charging process."

The residents of these towers will be safely evacuated and will be relocated to a safer place before the demolition begins. According to a report, the demolition of towers can only take place on Sunday to ensure complete evacuation.

Explosives were also expected to be planted in these twin towers between August 2 and August 20, however, the work did not begin and the installation was halted as No Objection Certificate was not handed over by the Noida police. The first batch of explosives, weighing 3,500 kgs was brought to the location, which was to be filled in 9,400 holes.