Today, on the 28th August at 2:30 pm, India’s biggest (and world’s third biggest) demolition through controlled implosion has taken place bringing down the 103 meters twin towers – Apex and Ceyanne constructed illegally by Supertech - all in 9 seconds, creating history on more than one accounts.
The facts about the twin tower demolition which makes its one of the biggest are
· Total area 7,50,000 sq feet
· 32 floors consisting of 957 flats
· 29 floors consisting of 21 shops
· 3700 kgs explosives drilled into 9642 hotels
· 80,000 tonne of debris will be generated by the demolition
· 4,000 tonnes iron and steel debris
· It may take 90 days to clear the debris
· 7000 residents of nearby Emerald court and ATS green have been evacuated a day before and will be allowed to come back after safety clearance from concerned Authorities
· Electricity and gas connections were disconnected
· The tower are wrapped to minimise flying of debris
· The flats in adjacent residential complex are also covered to reduce the impact of dust
· It is a result of over 6 months thorough preparation by various agencies, demolition company, NOIDA authorities, civic agencies, police, courts officials etc.
What does this demolition mean?
It is a celebration of the untiring efforts by the common flat buyers, their unity, and taking on the mighty builder and fighting the long and tiring legal battle first in High Court and then in the Supreme Court. It is a pleasant reminder of the old saying 'Unity is Strength". Kudos to the Resident welfare Association of Emerald court, who came together and stayed together for over a decade, contribute to common pool from their heard earned money, engaged top legal brains and fought tooth and nail with the mighty builder for over a decade till they got justice from the Apex court. In India there are lakhs of home buyers who suffer in the hands of unscrupulous builders but rarely they come together, demonstrate unity and take the legal battle to the enemy camps. This triumph will inspire many more such hapless home buyers to be united and fight for justice.
This demolition of illegal construction of such magnitude despite all efforts made by the developer Supertech, one of the biggest builder of NCR, to salvage the project in an over a decade long legal battle, demonstrates that the unscrupulous real estate developers cannot get away all the time, the India legal system will catch up one day, though may be late. Supertech has been a habitual offender and there is hardly any project of Supertech in NCR which has not violated approved building plans and constructed more flats than what has been originally approved besides delaying the project inordinately without any consequence to them. In Czar project in Greater Noida, Supertech had permission for constructing just 844 housing units, but built 15 residential towers with a total of 1,853 units. How bizarre that a builder manages to construct over 1000 units more than what has been approved. That blind folded and corrupt Authorities let that happen, and the dumb home buyers suffered silently. But the worst part is that though initially over 1000 units of Czar project were ordered to be sealed, the builder has manipulated and got it regularised. It is the home buyers who were the ultimate losers of their common areas, other amenities and stress on common services.
What more is expected.
In India, specially in NCR, there are many developers like Supertech who consider it as their birth right to violate all norms and approvals and take the home buyers for a ride. No doubt a stern warning has been served to all violators that their backs can be broken by such demolition orders. It is worth noting that all the flat buyers who booked flats in these twin towers have been repaid their money with simple interest by the order of Supreme Court. So the entire loss of over Rs. 500 crore or so is to the account of Supertech promoters only.
Though justice meted to this extent is appreciable, but it is surprising that the promoters of Supertech and more importantly the corrupt officials of NOIDA Authority were left scot-free. Strange that petty pick pocketers or a chain snatchers are arrested but builders and corrupt officials who do such large scale violations and financial bungling are not taken to task. One would have expected the Apex court, apart from giving demolition order, should have ordered the investigating agencies to register cases/FIR against the builder and corrupt officials and investigate the case and punish the guilty.
Hope some Builder mend their ways by the shock waves created by this massive and historic demolition and home buyers will have better times in future.
S. Prabhakar
28.8.22
