Supertech yet to take up audit of buildings near twin towers

Following an all-stakeholder meeting on June 7, during which residents had raised concerns about the detrimental effects of the demolition of the twin towers on residential complexes in their vicinity, the Noida authority had asked Supertech Limited to conduct a structural audit of buildings within a 50m radius of the twin towers in Sector 93A and submit a report by June 30.

However, with Supertech yet to embark on a full-fledged scientific structural audit, the authority sent a reminder to the developer on Tuesday asking it to complete the audit and submit the report within the week.

The structural audit will primarily be conducted for the three towers of Emerald Court and four towers of ATS Village, said officials. This is the same area that was already surveyed by Edifice Engineering, the agency hired for demolishing the towers, to check for damages.

“According to the Supreme Court directions, the structural audit of buildings falling within a 50m radius of the twin towers will have to be undertaken by the developer at its own expense. We had asked Supertech to finish the audit and submit the report by June 30. However, now that there is a delay, we have asked them to submit a report within a week, so that it can be reviewed and accordingly, action can be taken,” said Ishtiyaq Ahmed, chief architect and town planner, Noida authority.

He added once the report is in, it will be reviewed by the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) , which has been empanelled as an expert to review the entire demolition process.

“Based on the report and the feedback, Supertech will also have to carry out repairs and retrofitting work in these buildings before the blast,” said Ahmed.

The twin towers—Apex and Ceyanne—are scheduled to be demolished on August 21 and officials said there will be no further delays in the demolition.

At the site, all preparations for the demolition, such as drilling holes and knocking off pillars and walls, have already been completed. Edifice Engineering is in the final stages of safety-related preparations such as wrapping the buildings, and creating bunkers, impact cushions and barriers to protect neighbouring buildings.

Residents of Emerald Court had raised concerns about the structural strength of their building and have been demanding an audit to ensure that vibrations from the blast does not affect the other buildings near the twin towers. The closest tower—Aster 1—is just 8m away, they said.

The RWA of Emerald Court hired an independent consultant to get the structural analysis done. The report from the consultant mentioned that the concrete used for the building was of substandard quality and the columns and beams had visual cracks on the surface with corroded reinforcements.

The consultant’s report further mentioned, “After looking at the basement condition, we recommend immediate retrofitting/strengthening…and ensuring the stability of the basement columns and beams as per the seismic analysis code.”

Residents said despite getting an audit done by an independent firm and reminders from the Noida authority, no structural audit has been initiated by Supertech as yet.

“We got the structural analysis done for our own purpose. However, nothing has been done by the builder yet and nobody has contacted us for getting the structural audit done. It will be dangerous if the demolition happens without ensuring the necessary repairs,” said UBS Teotia, president of Emerald Court Apartment Owners’ Association.

Meanwhile, Supertech claimed that it has not received any order from the authority asking it to conduct a structural audit ahead of the demolition.

RK Arora, managing director of Supertech, said, “We have not received any order from the Noida authority so far regarding the structural audit. Currently, all documents and letters go to the interim resolution professional’s office first. In case, we receive such an order, we will look into it and decide our next course of action.”