Test blasts held successfully at Noida Supertech

Noida: The Noida Authority along with Edifice Engineering, a demolition agency, on Sunday, performed a test blast at one of the Supertech's twin towers, which have been ordered to be brought down next month, following the Supreme Court's order. Officials said that the test blast was held to ascertain the amount of explosive that would be needed during the actual demolition of both the towers on May 22.

The Supreme Court, in its judgment dated August 31, last year, had ordered for the demolition of the Supertech's twin tower for violating building by-laws. The Noida Authority was directed to perform the task and the contract was given to Edifice Engineering, a demolition agency, to raze off both the towers.

The test blast was conducted at 2:30 pm on Sunday, by Edifice Engineering in presence of officials from Noida Authority, Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) and Supertech builder limited. The road from area nearly 250 meters was blocked from both the sides for nearly one hour. Sufficient police force along with teams from the fire department were also deployed to avoid any mishap.

According to the officials, to perform the trial, 5 kilograms explosives were sourced from Palwal in Haryana on Sunday morning and a total of six blasts were undertaken. "The explosives were placed at five points in the basement of the building while one blast was undertaken on the 13th floor. The trail blast was performed successfully while a report on the same will be submitted within a fortnight that will help us examine the final blast design," a senior Noida Authority officer said.

An advisory was issued on Saturday by Edifice Engineering to the people residing in neighbouring areas asking them to stay indoors during the explosion. "The trail blast went off quite safely and in a controlled manner. We were expecting a large dust cloud during the blast but nothing like that happened. We are analysing the situation after the blast and will work on the final design," the officer added.

An official representative of Edifice Engineering said that up to four tonnes of explosives could be used to raze the Supertech twin towers on May 22, a blast that would take roughly nine seconds. "The final blast would include explosive by means of a shock wave. Tentatively, around 3,000-4,000 kg of explosives will be used for the demolition process. A large dust cloud is expected to emerge from the site after the demolition process but we are exploring all possible ways to minimise the effect," said Utkarsh Mehta, a partner with Edifice Engineering.

Mehta further said that the residents living in two nearby societies — ATS Greens Village and Parsavnath Prestige society adjacent to Supertech Emerald court will be asked to move out from their flats. As per an estimate, around 1,500 families with nearly 6,000 people will be asked to leave the area in advance for their safety and security.