Tag: Supertech

  • End of 9-year-long battle: Illegal Supertech twin towers in Noida razed to the ground

    By Online Desk

    Noida’s Supertech twin towers were demolished today at 2:31 pm.

    The towers — both taller than Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar — were down in less than 15 seconds by waterfall implosion technique. They are reportedly the tallest structures yet in India to have been demolished, officials said.

    Officials from the Gautambudh Nagar Control Centre were deployed at the Jaypee Flyover adjacent to the Twin Tower from where instructions for the relapse of the Tower were being provided.

    #WATCH | ‘Controlled implosion’ turns Noida’s #SupertechTwinTowers to dust pic.twitter.com/zDksI6lfIF
    — ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2022
    More than 3,700 kgs of explosives were used in this operation.

    The Noida police had barricaded most of the routes surrounding the twin tower.

    Around 7,000 residents from the neighbouring Emerald and ATC societies were evacuated and additionally, ambulances and sprinklers were provided to the communities living near the tower (in view of the debris and the massive layer of dust).

    The Noida police had coordinated with Google to close the routes nearby and to show that this area was closed. The Noida Expressway was closed at 1:30 pm and will remain closed till around 3 pm.

    READ MORE: Stage set for demolition

    The Supertech twin towers in Noida – Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys) – part of the Emerald Court, were found to be in violation of multiple regulations regarding construction following which a nine-year-long legal battle was fought in the Allahabad High Court and then the Supreme Court of India which culminated in favour of the Residents Welfare Association.

    A visual of the demolition of Noida’s Supertech twin towers on August 28, 2022. (Photo | Parveen Negi, EPS)

    Realty firm Supertech on Sunday, however, claimed the twin towers were constructed as per the building plan approved by Noida development authorities and no deviations were made.

    Supertech added that the demolition of these two towers will not impact its other real estate projects, which will be delivered to homebuyers.

    (With inputs from Express News Service and PTI)

    Noida’s Supertech twin towers were demolished today at 2:31 pm.

    The towers — both taller than Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar — were down in less than 15 seconds by waterfall implosion technique. They are reportedly the tallest structures yet in India to have been demolished, officials said.

    Officials from the Gautambudh Nagar Control Centre were deployed at the Jaypee Flyover adjacent to the Twin Tower from where instructions for the relapse of the Tower were being provided.

    #WATCH | ‘Controlled implosion’ turns Noida’s #SupertechTwinTowers to dust pic.twitter.com/zDksI6lfIF
    — ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2022
    More than 3,700 kgs of explosives were used in this operation.

    The Noida police had barricaded most of the routes surrounding the twin tower.

    Around 7,000 residents from the neighbouring Emerald and ATC societies were evacuated and additionally, ambulances and sprinklers were provided to the communities living near the tower (in view of the debris and the massive layer of dust).

    The Noida police had coordinated with Google to close the routes nearby and to show that this area was closed. The Noida Expressway was closed at 1:30 pm and will remain closed till around 3 pm.

    READ MORE: Stage set for demolition

    The Supertech twin towers in Noida – Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys) – part of the Emerald Court, were found to be in violation of multiple regulations regarding construction following which a nine-year-long legal battle was fought in the Allahabad High Court and then the Supreme Court of India which culminated in favour of the Residents Welfare Association.

    A visual of the demolition of Noida’s Supertech twin towers on August 28, 2022. (Photo | Parveen Negi, EPS)

    Realty firm Supertech on Sunday, however, claimed the twin towers were constructed as per the building plan approved by Noida development authorities and no deviations were made.

    Supertech added that the demolition of these two towers will not impact its other real estate projects, which will be delivered to homebuyers.

    (With inputs from Express News Service and PTI)

  • All set for demolition of illegal Noida twin towers

    By PTI

    NOIDA: The stage is set for the safe demolition of Supertech’s twin towers here this afternoon in what is expected to be a breathtaking spectacle of engineering to raze to the ground the nearly 100-metre-tall structures borne out of corruption.

    The towers — both taller than Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar — will be brought down in less than 15 seconds by waterfall implosion technique. They will be the tallest structures yet in India to be demolished, officials said.

    There was excitement and anticipation as several people, including families and children, gathered at the site on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, clicking selfies and taking videos of the two towers “All arrangements have been made and preparations done for the safe demolition of the twin towers as per schedule at 2.30 pm tomorrow,” Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari told PTI Saturday.

    Over 3,700 kg explosives will be used to bring down the structures in pursuance of a Supreme Court order that found their construction within the Emerald Court society premises in violation of norms.

    Around 5,000 residents of Emerald Court and adjoining ATS Village societies in Sector 93A have to vacate their premises by 7 am on Sunday while also removing nearly 3,000 vehicles and taking away 150-200 pets, including cats and dogs, with them for the day.

    Several of them left on Saturday itself, with some going to relatives’ or friends’ places in Delhi-NCR only while some driving out to Uttarakhand and Rajasthan on short vacations.

    The closest buildings next to twin towers are Aster 2 and Aster 3 of Emerald Court society which are just nine metres away.

    The demolition would be done in a manner so as not to cause any structural damages to other buildings, the officials said.

    While nearby Noida-Greater Noida Expressway will be closed from 2.15 pm to 2.45 pm, the city will remain no fly zone for drones.

    The air space in one nautical mile radius above the blast will also remain briefly unavailable for flights during demolition time, according to Noida Authority. All work related to placement of explosives and connecting them is already complete.

    The only work remaining is interconnecting the twin towers and placing a 100-metre-long cable from the structures to the exploder, from where the button would be pressed on Sunday, project officials said.

    “Once last-minute checks are done and all teams get down from the buildings, the two buildings Apex and Ceyane, have to be inter-connected.

    After that a 100-metre-long cable would be run from the towers to the exploder to demolish the buildings,” Edifice Engineering’s project manager Mayur Mehta said on Saturday. “Once we get the clearance from the police department that the exclusion zone is 100 per cent clear, then at 2.30 pm on Sunday we will press the button,” he said.

    Mehta said only six people, including three foreign experts, Indian blaster Chetan Dutta, a police officer and himself, will remain within the exclusion zone to push the button for the blast.

    Asked how confident he was regarding safe demolition, Mehta told PTI: “100 per cent. I don’t have any other word. We are 100 per cent confident.” Mehta’s Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering has been tasked with safely pulling down the structures.

    The edifice has roped in South African experts Jet Demolitions for the project. The whole exercise is being overseen by the local Noida Authority.

    His brother and Edifice Partner Utkarsh Mehta has assured residents of adjoining societies that there will be no damage to their homes except for chances of “cosmetic cracks” on outer paint and plasters of some structures.

    On duration of demolition, he said first all explosives would blast in a series from the bottom floor to the top in eight to nine seconds, and then the buildings would take another four to five seconds to come down, with the whole event taking place under 15 seconds.

    “The buildings are planned to come down in the south-west direction, away from the nearby buildings and towards the open area,” Mehta said.

    On how many options they had for demolition of the twin towers, Mehta said there are basically three techniques to safely raze down any structure of such a scale – diamond cutter, use of robots and implosion. “The technique is chosen on the basis of three parameters – cost, time and safety,” he said.

    He said the ‘diamond cutter’ would have taken over two years of time to completely demolish the twin towers safely, and its cost would have been five times of the implosion method.

    On using robotics, he said this technique would have caused a lot of noise over a period of 1.5 years to two years and disturbed the residents of nearby Emerald Court and ATS Village. “Its cost would have been less than the diamond cutter technique but more than implosion,” he said.

    The Edifice boss said since the Supreme Court had also ordered that this project should be done in the shortest possible time and with no disturbance to neighbouring residents, the implosion technique became the choice.

    Meanwhile, in an advisory issued to the public Saturday evening, the Noida Authority asked people, especially children, the elderly and patients, living in nearby areas to wear face masks in the aftermath of the demolition as a precautionary measure.

    The authority especially asked residents of nearby Parsvnath Prestige, Parsvnath Srishti societies, village Gejha and others in Sectors 93, 93A, 93B, and 92 to wear face masks after 2.30 pm.

    NOIDA: The stage is set for the safe demolition of Supertech’s twin towers here this afternoon in what is expected to be a breathtaking spectacle of engineering to raze to the ground the nearly 100-metre-tall structures borne out of corruption.

    The towers — both taller than Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar — will be brought down in less than 15 seconds by waterfall implosion technique. They will be the tallest structures yet in India to be demolished, officials said.

    There was excitement and anticipation as several people, including families and children, gathered at the site on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, clicking selfies and taking videos of the two towers “All arrangements have been made and preparations done for the safe demolition of the twin towers as per schedule at 2.30 pm tomorrow,” Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari told PTI Saturday.

    Over 3,700 kg explosives will be used to bring down the structures in pursuance of a Supreme Court order that found their construction within the Emerald Court society premises in violation of norms.

    Around 5,000 residents of Emerald Court and adjoining ATS Village societies in Sector 93A have to vacate their premises by 7 am on Sunday while also removing nearly 3,000 vehicles and taking away 150-200 pets, including cats and dogs, with them for the day.

    Several of them left on Saturday itself, with some going to relatives’ or friends’ places in Delhi-NCR only while some driving out to Uttarakhand and Rajasthan on short vacations.

    The closest buildings next to twin towers are Aster 2 and Aster 3 of Emerald Court society which are just nine metres away.

    The demolition would be done in a manner so as not to cause any structural damages to other buildings, the officials said.

    While nearby Noida-Greater Noida Expressway will be closed from 2.15 pm to 2.45 pm, the city will remain no fly zone for drones.

    The air space in one nautical mile radius above the blast will also remain briefly unavailable for flights during demolition time, according to Noida Authority. All work related to placement of explosives and connecting them is already complete.

    The only work remaining is interconnecting the twin towers and placing a 100-metre-long cable from the structures to the exploder, from where the button would be pressed on Sunday, project officials said.

    “Once last-minute checks are done and all teams get down from the buildings, the two buildings Apex and Ceyane, have to be inter-connected.

    After that a 100-metre-long cable would be run from the towers to the exploder to demolish the buildings,” Edifice Engineering’s project manager Mayur Mehta said on Saturday. “Once we get the clearance from the police department that the exclusion zone is 100 per cent clear, then at 2.30 pm on Sunday we will press the button,” he said.

    Mehta said only six people, including three foreign experts, Indian blaster Chetan Dutta, a police officer and himself, will remain within the exclusion zone to push the button for the blast.

    Asked how confident he was regarding safe demolition, Mehta told PTI: “100 per cent. I don’t have any other word. We are 100 per cent confident.” Mehta’s Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering has been tasked with safely pulling down the structures.

    The edifice has roped in South African experts Jet Demolitions for the project. The whole exercise is being overseen by the local Noida Authority.

    His brother and Edifice Partner Utkarsh Mehta has assured residents of adjoining societies that there will be no damage to their homes except for chances of “cosmetic cracks” on outer paint and plasters of some structures.

    On duration of demolition, he said first all explosives would blast in a series from the bottom floor to the top in eight to nine seconds, and then the buildings would take another four to five seconds to come down, with the whole event taking place under 15 seconds.

    “The buildings are planned to come down in the south-west direction, away from the nearby buildings and towards the open area,” Mehta said.

    On how many options they had for demolition of the twin towers, Mehta said there are basically three techniques to safely raze down any structure of such a scale – diamond cutter, use of robots and implosion. “The technique is chosen on the basis of three parameters – cost, time and safety,” he said.

    He said the ‘diamond cutter’ would have taken over two years of time to completely demolish the twin towers safely, and its cost would have been five times of the implosion method.

    On using robotics, he said this technique would have caused a lot of noise over a period of 1.5 years to two years and disturbed the residents of nearby Emerald Court and ATS Village. “Its cost would have been less than the diamond cutter technique but more than implosion,” he said.

    The Edifice boss said since the Supreme Court had also ordered that this project should be done in the shortest possible time and with no disturbance to neighbouring residents, the implosion technique became the choice.

    Meanwhile, in an advisory issued to the public Saturday evening, the Noida Authority asked people, especially children, the elderly and patients, living in nearby areas to wear face masks in the aftermath of the demolition as a precautionary measure.

    The authority especially asked residents of nearby Parsvnath Prestige, Parsvnath Srishti societies, village Gejha and others in Sectors 93, 93A, 93B, and 92 to wear face masks after 2.30 pm.

  • Twin tower demolition: One nautical mile of air space to remain briefly unavailable for flights 

    By PTI

    NOIDA: One nautical mile of air space around the twin tower demolition site in Noida will remain briefly unavailable for flights on August 28, the Noida Authority said on Friday.

    A nautical mile is equal to approximately 1.8 kilometres.

    The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has given its consent for this, the Noida Authority said as it oversaw preparations for the demolition of the nearly 100-metre-tall twin towers on Sunday.

    “In view of the dust generated after the demolition, on the recommendation of the Noida Authority, the Ministry of Aviation has given its consent for the non-availability of one nautical mile of air space for aircraft to fly at the time of demolition,” it said in a statement.

    ALSO READ | Demolition preparation of Noida’s Supertech twin towers complete

    Earlier, the Noida police on Thursday banned the use of drones in city skies from August 26 till August 31 citing security reasons in view of the demolition of Supertech’s illegal towers.

    Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Ram Badan Singh invoked the powers under CrPC Section 144 as he passed the ban order.

    Police had also declared that drones will be allowed but only beyond the “exclusion zone” of about 500 metres and that too with their permission. No human, animal or vehicles would be allowed in the exclusion zone on August 28.

    The nearly 100-metre-tall Apex and Ceyane towers -taller than Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar–are scheduled to be demolished at 2.30 pm on August 28 in pursuance of a Supreme Court order that found their construction within Emerald Court premises in violation of norms.

    Over 5,000 residents living in Emerald Court and adjoining ATS Village society will be evacuated on August 28. They will vacate premises by 7 am and are allowed only after safety clearance post demolition by agencies concerned around 4 pm.

    NOIDA: One nautical mile of air space around the twin tower demolition site in Noida will remain briefly unavailable for flights on August 28, the Noida Authority said on Friday.

    A nautical mile is equal to approximately 1.8 kilometres.

    The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has given its consent for this, the Noida Authority said as it oversaw preparations for the demolition of the nearly 100-metre-tall twin towers on Sunday.

    “In view of the dust generated after the demolition, on the recommendation of the Noida Authority, the Ministry of Aviation has given its consent for the non-availability of one nautical mile of air space for aircraft to fly at the time of demolition,” it said in a statement.

    ALSO READ | Demolition preparation of Noida’s Supertech twin towers complete

    Earlier, the Noida police on Thursday banned the use of drones in city skies from August 26 till August 31 citing security reasons in view of the demolition of Supertech’s illegal towers.

    Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Ram Badan Singh invoked the powers under CrPC Section 144 as he passed the ban order.

    Police had also declared that drones will be allowed but only beyond the “exclusion zone” of about 500 metres and that too with their permission. No human, animal or vehicles would be allowed in the exclusion zone on August 28.

    The nearly 100-metre-tall Apex and Ceyane towers -taller than Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar–are scheduled to be demolished at 2.30 pm on August 28 in pursuance of a Supreme Court order that found their construction within Emerald Court premises in violation of norms.

    Over 5,000 residents living in Emerald Court and adjoining ATS Village society will be evacuated on August 28. They will vacate premises by 7 am and are allowed only after safety clearance post demolition by agencies concerned around 4 pm.

  • Supreme Court says flat buyers of Supertech’s twin towers will be refunded in full

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday assured the home buyers of the to-be-razed 40-storey twin-towers of real estate firm Supertech in Noida that they will be refunded the full amount deposited with the builder. 

    The apex court also asked the Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) of the firm, facing insolvency proceedings, to deposit Rs one crore with the apex court registry.

    The Supertech’s 40-storey twin towers at Emerald Court Project of Sector 93A of Noida are scheduled to be razed on August 28.

    A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, AS Bopanna, and JB Pardiwala said that the home buyers of twin powers will get their total refund but for the time being, they will be paid from Rs one crore, which will be deposited by the IRP by September 30.

    The top court was hearing a batch of contempt petitions filed by home buyers seeking a refund as per the last year’s order of court.

    The bench said that it would ensure that the home buyers of the twin towers get their refund in compliance with the August 31, 2021 order of the court.

    “In the meantime, in order to ensure that the home buyers who are covered by the judgement of this court get some refund of their outstanding dues, we direct the IRP to deposit an amount of Rs one crore with the registry of this court on or before September 30”, it said.

    ALSO READ | Demolition preparation of Noida’s Supertech twin towers complete

    The bench said that amicus curiae Gaurav Agarwal, will sit together with the IRP in the first week of October and jointly work out the outstanding dues of the home buyers and submit the details before the next date of hearing so that disbursement of some amount could be made to the hassled home buyers.

    “The amicus and the IRP would jointly work out the outstanding dues of the home buyers, who have approached the court and submit their details on the next date of listing so that directions can be issued for the disbursement of the fund,” it said.

    The bench noted the submission of Agarwal that at present the corporate insolvency resolution process of the company is confined to only the Supertech Eco Village Project and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has 70 per cent of the revenue of the company will be used for completing the construction of stalled projects and 30 per cent could be used for other administrative purposes.

    It said that in the first week of October, the amicus should hold a meeting with the IRP to ascertain, how much expenses are needed for the completion of stalled projects, how much the revenue, how much the expenses, and the schedule with which the entire outstanding of the home buyers could be cleared.

    The bench said that a report should be filed by the amicus in this regard by the next date of hearing.

    At the outset, Agarwal said that he had discussions with the IRP, who has been placed in charge of the affairs of the company and has come to know about the monthly revenue of the firm.

    The amicus said that Supertech Ltd has an inflow of Rs 20 crore per month of which Rs 15 crore goes towards the construction of the stalled project and five crores are there for meeting administrative expenses.

    He said that the IRP has assured that he will deposit Rs one crore by September 30 with the apex court registry, which is the amount diverted from the Rs five crore administrative expenses for payment of refund to the home buyers of twin-towers.

    Counsel for home buyers said that till now they have uncertainty over payment of the refund by Supertech and hence court should mention that they will be paid in full but in installments, looking at the circumstances.

    The bench assured them that they will be paid in full but it needs to balance the rights of everybody and hence after the report of amicus comes in October, it will fix a schedule for payment of the outstanding.

    ALSO READ | ‘No fly zone’ for drones on August 28; mixed feelings among residents

    The top court had earlier directed the IRP to segregate the claims of home buyers from other creditors and make an endeavour for payment of their refunds on priority in compliance with the order of the court.

    The erstwhile management of Supertech had earlier told the top court that only 59 home buyers are left to be refunded, while the rest of them have been refunded or shifted to other flats of the company.

    On August 12, the top court fixed August 28 for the demolition of Supertech’s twin 40-storey towers and also relaxed the time frame till September 4 in case of delays arising from technical or weather conditions.

    The apex court had earlier fixed August 21 as the date of demolition of the buildings, which have been held illegal for a violation of norms.

    Earlier, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had declared it bankrupt on a plea filed by the Union Bank of India for non-payment of around Rs 432 crore worth of dues.

    On August 31 last year, the top court ordered the demolition of the towers under construction within three months for violation of building norms in “collusion” with NOIDA officials, holding that illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law.

    The top court had directed that the entire amount of home buyers be refunded with 12 per cent interest from the time of the booking and the RWA of Emerald Court project be paid Rs 2 crore for the harassment caused due to the construction of the twin towers, which would have blocked sunlight and fresh air to the existing residents of the housing project adjoining the national capital.

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday assured the home buyers of the to-be-razed 40-storey twin-towers of real estate firm Supertech in Noida that they will be refunded the full amount deposited with the builder. 

    The apex court also asked the Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) of the firm, facing insolvency proceedings, to deposit Rs one crore with the apex court registry.

    The Supertech’s 40-storey twin towers at Emerald Court Project of Sector 93A of Noida are scheduled to be razed on August 28.

    A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, AS Bopanna, and JB Pardiwala said that the home buyers of twin powers will get their total refund but for the time being, they will be paid from Rs one crore, which will be deposited by the IRP by September 30.

    The top court was hearing a batch of contempt petitions filed by home buyers seeking a refund as per the last year’s order of court.

    The bench said that it would ensure that the home buyers of the twin towers get their refund in compliance with the August 31, 2021 order of the court.

    “In the meantime, in order to ensure that the home buyers who are covered by the judgement of this court get some refund of their outstanding dues, we direct the IRP to deposit an amount of Rs one crore with the registry of this court on or before September 30”, it said.

    ALSO READ | Demolition preparation of Noida’s Supertech twin towers complete

    The bench said that amicus curiae Gaurav Agarwal, will sit together with the IRP in the first week of October and jointly work out the outstanding dues of the home buyers and submit the details before the next date of hearing so that disbursement of some amount could be made to the hassled home buyers.

    “The amicus and the IRP would jointly work out the outstanding dues of the home buyers, who have approached the court and submit their details on the next date of listing so that directions can be issued for the disbursement of the fund,” it said.

    The bench noted the submission of Agarwal that at present the corporate insolvency resolution process of the company is confined to only the Supertech Eco Village Project and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has 70 per cent of the revenue of the company will be used for completing the construction of stalled projects and 30 per cent could be used for other administrative purposes.

    It said that in the first week of October, the amicus should hold a meeting with the IRP to ascertain, how much expenses are needed for the completion of stalled projects, how much the revenue, how much the expenses, and the schedule with which the entire outstanding of the home buyers could be cleared.

    The bench said that a report should be filed by the amicus in this regard by the next date of hearing.

    At the outset, Agarwal said that he had discussions with the IRP, who has been placed in charge of the affairs of the company and has come to know about the monthly revenue of the firm.

    The amicus said that Supertech Ltd has an inflow of Rs 20 crore per month of which Rs 15 crore goes towards the construction of the stalled project and five crores are there for meeting administrative expenses.

    He said that the IRP has assured that he will deposit Rs one crore by September 30 with the apex court registry, which is the amount diverted from the Rs five crore administrative expenses for payment of refund to the home buyers of twin-towers.

    Counsel for home buyers said that till now they have uncertainty over payment of the refund by Supertech and hence court should mention that they will be paid in full but in installments, looking at the circumstances.

    The bench assured them that they will be paid in full but it needs to balance the rights of everybody and hence after the report of amicus comes in October, it will fix a schedule for payment of the outstanding.

    ALSO READ | ‘No fly zone’ for drones on August 28; mixed feelings among residents

    The top court had earlier directed the IRP to segregate the claims of home buyers from other creditors and make an endeavour for payment of their refunds on priority in compliance with the order of the court.

    The erstwhile management of Supertech had earlier told the top court that only 59 home buyers are left to be refunded, while the rest of them have been refunded or shifted to other flats of the company.

    On August 12, the top court fixed August 28 for the demolition of Supertech’s twin 40-storey towers and also relaxed the time frame till September 4 in case of delays arising from technical or weather conditions.

    The apex court had earlier fixed August 21 as the date of demolition of the buildings, which have been held illegal for a violation of norms.

    Earlier, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had declared it bankrupt on a plea filed by the Union Bank of India for non-payment of around Rs 432 crore worth of dues.

    On August 31 last year, the top court ordered the demolition of the towers under construction within three months for violation of building norms in “collusion” with NOIDA officials, holding that illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law.

    The top court had directed that the entire amount of home buyers be refunded with 12 per cent interest from the time of the booking and the RWA of Emerald Court project be paid Rs 2 crore for the harassment caused due to the construction of the twin towers, which would have blocked sunlight and fresh air to the existing residents of the housing project adjoining the national capital.

  • Tentative date for Noida twin towers demolition moved to August 21

    By PTI

    NOIDA: The tentative date for demolition of Supertech’s illegal twin towers in Noida has been moved from August 28 to August 21, officials said on Tuesday.

    The Supreme Court had earlier permitted extending the demolition date till August 28 from May 22 this year after the private company engaged for the work approached it with a plea for time extension.

    “The tentative date for demolition has been moved to August 21 now. The time limit extension granted by the honourable Supreme Court is till August 28. The decision has been taken in order to create a buffer period so that the work is completed in any case by August 28,” Noida Authority’s CEO Ritu Maheshwari told PTI.

    The senior IAS officer said the private agency, Edifice Engineering, engaged for the demolition work by Supertech on Tuesday made a presentation to the Noida Authority about the work progress and its preparation.

    “The company said they are on track for the job. It said it has on its own taken a buffer period of 12 days from the actual date of demolition (August 28). They will be ready 12 days in advance. So it has been decided to shift the demolition date by one week to August 21,” Maheshwari said.

    The Supreme Court had on August 31 last year ordered the demolition of the nearly 100-metre tall twin towers which had come up in violation of building bye-laws inside Supertech’s Emerald Court group housing society in sector 93A.

    The towers were earlier scheduled for demolition on May 22 and test blasts were held on April 10 at the site by Edifice Engineering, which has further roped in South African firm Jet Demolitions for the work owing to its expertise in the job.

    During the meeting, chaired by Maheshwari, the status of compliance of the court orders with the described conditions and the problems arising out of the demolition were discussed, the Noida Authority said in a statement.

    Besides the Noida Authority, officials of the police department, fire department, Pollution Control Board, Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Edifice Engineering and Supertech group were also present.

    Residents Welfare Association members of the Emerald Court society and its adjoining ATS village also took part in the discussions, it said.

    “Since the demolition proceedings should be done by August 28, therefore, to ensure compliance with the orders of Supreme Court, the date August 21 was fixed for the demolition, taking a grace period of one week, so that in any unavoidable circumstances, the demolition must be completed by August 28, 2022,” the statement read.

    By Wednesday, the areas falling within the radius of 50 metres of the twin towers should be identified and the information made available to both the RWAs, the Noida Authority asked the demolition agency.

    The pre-demolition structural audit of this 5-metre radius area by Edifice Engineering should be provided to the CBRI by June 30 and by the same time it should make available its plan for scientific disposal of construction and demolition waste to the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, according to the statement.

    The demolition firm has also been asked to present a report of the vibration test for the April 10 test blasts to the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and the CBRI. This report should be made available to them by June 20, it added.

  • Supreme Court refuses to stop demolition of Supertech’s twin towers in Noida

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to modify its directive to demolish the twin 40-storey towers in Noida for the violation of norms.  It dismissed an application of Supertech Ltd seeking to save one tower and partially demolish 224 units in the other to conform to building bye-laws.

    The top court said that a grant of such relief is akin to reviewing the judgments of this court, and such an attempt is impermissible in a miscellaneous application filed by the realty firm.

    A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and BV Nagarathna said that the judgment of this court dated August 31, has specifically affirmed the direction issued by the division bench of Allahabad High Court for demolition of T-16 and T-17 of the Emerald Court Project, which is evident from the ultimate conclusions contained in the judgment.

    “In essence, what the applicant seeks is that the direction for demolition of T-16 and T-17 should be substituted by retention of T-16 in its entirety and slicing off a portion of T-17. Clearly, the grant of such relief is in the nature of a review of the judgement of this court,” the bench said in its order.

    The top court said that in successive decisions, this court has held that the filing of an application styled as ‘Miscellaneous Application’ or application for clarification in the guise for review cannot be countenanced.

    “The attempt in the Miscellaneous Application is clearly to seek a substantive modification of the judgement of this court. Such an attempt is not permissible in Miscellaneous Application,” the bench said, adding, “For the above reason, there is no substance in the Miscellaneous Application, which is accordingly dismissed.”

  • Supertech to pay Rs 57 lakh by November-end to home buyer, rules Delhi HC

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Delhi High Court on Monday asked realtor Supertech to cough up Rs 40 lakh by October-end to a home buyer, Kanwal Batra, who filed a complaint about the delay in giving possession of a villa in one of the company’s projects in Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Area, adjacent to the national capital.

    Justice Amit Bansal said besides Rs 40 lakh, another Rs 17 lakh shall be paid to the home buyer by November end. The court said that the Rs 40 lakh shall be utilised by the man to repay the loan and for his daughter’s marriage.

    The court was informed that the total amount due to the home buyer was around Rs 1.79 crore, out of which Rs 50 lakh has been paid to him in pursuance of the court’s September 24 order. As the principal amount was Rs 1.07 crore, the court asked the realtor to first clear that after which the builder shall place before it the payment plan.

    The court had on September 24, stayed an order of the National Consumer Disputes  Redressal Commission (NCDRC) sentencing Supertech MD Mohit Arora to three-year imprisonment and issuing an arrest warrant against him for noncompliance with an order in the case by the home buyer.

    The high court had directed the realty firm to deposit Rs 50 lakh in the home buyer’s account within a week to show it’s bona fide to the court.  The court has listed the matter for further hearing on November 11, when the realtor shall give his payment plan.

    The high court was hearing Supertech’s plea challenging the September 20 order by which Arora was given three-year jail and the arrest warrant was issued against him for noncompliance with NCDRC directions.

    Earlier, Supertech’s counsel had argued that the NCDRC order was beyond the provisions of Section 27 of the Consumer Protection Act and there was no provision it which casts vicarious liability on the MD to make him liable in criminal or civil matters in case of default by the company.

    The plea was opposed by the home buyer’s counsel who had said the company was in repeated default of the NCDRC order and has gone back on its undertaking to the forum.

  • Meet the senior citizens who waged legal war against illegal twin-towers in Noida

    By PTI

    NOIDA: It was the relentless pursuit of justice over a decade by a group of senior citizens that resulted in the Supreme Court’s order for demolition of the illegal 40-storey twin towers of a real estate group in Noida.

    These senior citizens, including former central government and paramilitary officers, often travelled unreserved in trains for hearings in the Allahabad High Court and even had to collect donations to continue their legal battle against the builder.

    Now, with the top court’s decision on Tuesday, residents of Emerald Court in Sector 93 of Noida are full of praise for these senior citizens and their perseverance for justice for over 12 years.

    In 2009, four residents went up against Supertech’s plan for twin towers, which were coming up in violation of building bye-laws, and formed a core legal committee that moved the court.

    UBS Teotia (80), S K Sharma (74), Ravi Bajaj (65) and M K Jain (59) have been credited with bringing down the company to its knees.

    Jain was the only exception in the senior citizens’ club but he passed away earlier this year due to COVID-19, while Bajaj withdrew from the committee last year citing personal reasons, said Sharma who had retired as deputy director general from the Telecom Department.

    “These were old men who fought this case.

    Teotia, who was a DIG in the CRPF, led the battle with all of us by his side,” Sharma told PTI, while also crediting their lawyers Jayant Bhooshan and Aneesh Agrawal for skilfully presenting the case in courts.

    Teotia said nobody believed that an order like this could be passed against the builder and more than half of the residents of the building’s society were also not convinced.

    “But we were sure and had facts and rules on our side,” Teotia said.

    He recalled the whole legal battle as a “tough journey” involving 30 hearings over a period of seven years in the Supreme Court alone.

    “Before that we would travel to Allahabad for high court dates.

    Travelled 3rd class in trains,” the former DIG said, adding that collecting documents from local, state and national authorities was also “very tough”.

    Teotia, who turned 80 on August 30, said the legal and related expenses cost them about Rs 1 crore, for which they had to go door to door for donations from society members.

    Rajesh Rana (62), the current president of Emerald Court resident welfare association (RWA), said the original team of four was extremely involved in the case.

    “We had a good legal team but these senior citizens left no stone unturned. From following case details, gathering documents to managing day to day activities, they really made the team work,” Rana, who retired from the corporate world two years ago, said.

    Asked about the long-drawn battle, Sharma recalled that their case started in 2012 in the Allahabad High Court and on every date at least two of them made sure they attended it.

    “Often we had to travel unreserved in trains to Allahabad. There were also times when we resorted to donations in order to keep the legal battle alive. We went door to door for donations from the residents,” he said.

    He said the conflict was clear.

    The builder was developing two more high-rise towers in the housing project in violation of rules.

    The new towers impacted ventilation, sunlight and response to emergency situations for other residents of the 15 towers, he claimed.

    “Every time we discussed the legalities of the matter with residents, there would be some with a differing opinion. But by and large, we got full support of all residents,” Sharma said.

    Jain’s wife said her husband was a “brave man” who pursued the case legally.

    “We have often seen how some people withdraw themselves from legal cases, which most of the times tend to be long-drawn processes. But he never got scared. He would have been very happy today with the court’s decision,” she told PTI.

    In a setback to Supertech Ltd, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed demolition of twin 40-storey towers of the realty major’s Emerald Court project in Noida for violation of building bye-laws “in collusion” with the local authority officials.

    Both the towers — Apex and Ceyane — were under construction when the Allahabad High Court had ordered their demolition.

    After Supertech Ltd approached the apex court against the high court order, a status quo was ordered.

    The top court said the case record is replete with instances which highlight the collusion between officers of the Noida Authority with Supertech Ltd and its management and involvement of the planning authority with the developer in violation of laws.

    The apex court directed that the entire amount of home buyers be refunded with 12 per cent interest from the time of the booking and the Residents Welfare Association be paid Rs 2 crore for the harassment caused due to the construction of the twin towers.

    Supertech said it would file a review petition over the order, while Noida Authority said it will ensure full compliance of the SC’s verdict and ensure action against its officials who are found guilty of violation in the case.

    Residents of the realty firm’s Emerald Court on Tuesday said the truth has prevailed and their faith in the apex court has grown stronger.

    Buyers who have invested their money in these towers, however, hoped their interest would be protected, even as the Supertech Group said it would be filing a review petition in the case.

    Emerald Court residents heaved a sigh of relief that their decade-long legal battle came to an end with the top court ordering the demolition of the two illegal high-rise towers on their premises.

    Residents said the housing project has 660 flats across 15 towers but in 2009 work started on the twin towers, coming up in the violation of building by-laws but they were told the construction was part of a separate project.

    “We, however, insisted on seeing drawings and approvals of the project which appeared to be huge and against rules stipulating a certain distance between two such structures.”

    “After several efforts, we got to see the drawings and were shocked after realising that we were being taken for a ride by the builder with brazen violation of rules,” S K Sharma, former president of Emerald Court’s RWA, told PTI.

    After this, some of the residents in 2012 moved the Allahabad High Court, which ordered the demolition of the two towers two years later but the realtor challenged it in the Supreme Court.

    An apex court bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah Tuesday said the April 11, 2014 verdict of the Allahabad High Court does not deserve any interference.

    “Truth has prevailed and our faith in the Supreme Court has grown stronger. We had knocked all other doors over the years as we went against the influential builder,” the 74-year-old Sharma said.

    Another resident of Emerald Court whose husband was part of the RWA’s legal committee said the top court’s order has come as a victory for all residents who stood against wrong being done.

    “There’s no doubt that my husband would have been very happy with this decision of the court,” she said, recalling her husband as a “brave man” who “fought injustice” for around a decade before succumbing to COVID-19 this year.

    Hailing the verdict, the RWA’s current president Rajesh Rana, said the top court’s order has sent residents of Emerald Court on “cloud nine” after a long-fought legal battle.

    “We had knocked the door of the judiciary with hope for justice and justice has been done. We are thankful to the court and have our faith reaffirmed in judicial system,” Rana told PTI.

    While the Supertech Group said it would file a review petition in the case, investors of the twin-towers hoped their interests would be protected.

    “On the one hand, while it looks like a closure of a long-pending issue, on the other it is going to be a big loss for those who have invested in these towers. I hope their interests and their hard-earned money invested in these flats are protected,” a buyer who bought an apartment in one of the towers in 2009 told PTI.

    Meanwhile, Noida and Greater Noida residents’ bodies hailed the top court order, which slammed the local development authority for colluding with the builder.

    Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Associations (NOFAA) president Rajiva Singh hailed the SC order as “indeed a landmark judgment” and a great win not only for the Emerald Court’s RWA team but the families of the entire home buyers’ community.

    “The judgment leaves the buyers with immense confidence in the legal system of the country. This should be the beginning for the much-needed corrections in the system, the way our developers and the governing bodies operate,” Singh said.

    Manish Kumar of the Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (NEFOWA) said the order is in favour of the residents and a “great blow” to Supertech Ltd and Noida Authority.

    “The order also states that action is to be taken against erring officials of the Noida Authority and whosoever is found (or named) guilty, must be prosecuted and penalised heavily,” Kumar said.

    The apex court has directed that the twin towers be demolished within three months and all demolition expenses are borne by Supertech.

    The Noida Authority also said it would ensure full compliance of the SC order and ensure action against its officials and those of the real estate group who are found guilty of violations in the episode that occurred between 2004 and 2012.

    The Supreme Court Tuesday pointed out multiple incidents of collusion of NOIDA officials with realty major Supertech Ltd and violations of norms by the builder in construction of twin 40-storey towers in its Emerald Court project.

    A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and MR Shah directed that the twin towers be demolished within three months and refund be made to all the existing home buyers with interest of 12 per cent.

    The top court noted that the two towers, Apex (T-16) and Ceyane (T-17) of Emerald Court Project of Supertech situated in sector 93A of NOIDA, together have 915 apartments and 21 shops.

    Of these, 633 flats were booked initially.

    Of the 633 people booking the flats initially, 133 have moved out to other projects, 248 have taken refunds and 252 home buyers still have bookings with the company in the project.

    “The record of this case is replete with instances which highlight the collusion between the officers of NOIDA with the appellant and its management. The case has revealed a nefarious complicity of the planning authority in the violation by the developer of the provisions of law,” the bench said.

    The complicity of NOIDA has emerged in several instances including in the sanctioning of the second revised plan on November 26 2009 in clear breach of the Noida Building Regulations 2006, it said.

    “The refusal by NOIDA to disclose the building plans to the first respondent (Residents Welfare Association), in spite of a clear stipulation consistently in all the sanctioned plans that the plan would have to be displayed at the construction site of the appellant,” the bench said.

    It said one of such instance of collusion includes NOIDA’s referral of RWA’s request to access the sanctioned plans to the builder, to seek its consent and upon the refusal of the latter, a continuous failure to disclose them to the residents.

    “Even when the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) addressed a communication to NOIDA in regard to the violation of the minimum distance requirements in Emerald Court, it evinced no response and no investigation from them,” the bench said.

    It said that in pursuance of the second revised plan of September 26, 2009, Supertech Ltd appeared to have built a foundation to support two buildings of forty and thirty-nine floors, while the sanction for the extension from twenty-four to forty or thirty-nine floors came about only on March 2, 2012 through the third revised plan.

    “The construction for T-16 and T-17 commenced in July 2009 by the appellant, five months before the sanction was received for the second revised plan on November 26, 2009, in spite of which NOIDA chose to take no action,” the bench said.

    It said the Allahabad High Court has dealt with the collusion between the officials of NOIDA and the Supertech Ltd.

    “This is writ large from the facts as they have emerged before this Court as well. The High Court has in these circumstances correctly come to the conclusion that there was collusion between the developer and the planning authority”.

    The top court said that NOIDA made no effort to ensure compliance of the UP Apartments Act 2010, as a result of which the rights of the flat purchasers have been brazenly violated.

    “This cannot point to any conclusion, other than the collusion between NOIDA and the appellant to avoid complying with the provisions of the applicable statutes and regulations for monetary gain, at the cost of the rights of the flat purchasers,” it said.

    The bench in its 140-page verdict said that once this Court has determined that the sanctioned plan for Apex and Ceyane (T-16 and T-17) breached the Noida Building Regulations (NBR) 2006, 2010 and National Building Code, 2005 and other provisions, it becomes its duty to take stock of the violations committed by the Supertech Ltd in collusion with NOIDA.

    “The appellant (Supertech Ltd) raised false pleas and attempted to mislead this Court, while the officials of NOIDA have not acted bona fide in the discharge of their duties. The appellant has stooped to the point of producing a fabricated sanctioned plan,” the bench said, It said, “Therefore, we confirm the directions of the High Court including the order of demolition and for sanctioning prosecution under Section 49 of the UPUD Act, as incorporated by Section 12 of the UPIAD Act 1976, against the officials of the appellant and the officers of NOIDA for violations of the UPIAD Act 1976 and UP Apartments Act 2010”.

    Illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law, the apex court said.

    NOIDA made no effort to ensure compliance of the Uttar Pradesh Apartments Act 2010, as a result of which the rights of the flat purchasers have been brazenly violated, it said.

    “This cannot point to any conclusion, other than the collusion between NOIDA and the appellant to avoid complying with the provisions of the applicable statutes and regulations for monetary gain, at the cost of the rights of the flat purchasers,” said a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah, upholding the Allahabad High Court verdict.

    “The order passed by the High Court for the demolition of Apex and Ceyane (T-16 and T-17) does not warrant interference and the direction for demolition issued by the High Court is affirmed,” it said.

    The top court directed that the work of demolition shall be carried out within three months from the date of this judgment.

    “The record of this case is replete with instances which highlight the collusion between the officers of NOIDA with the appellant and its management. The case has revealed a nefarious complicity of the planning authority in the violation by the developer of the provisions of law,” the bench said.

    The high court has dealt with the collusion between the officials of NOIDA and the appellant (Supertech Ltd), it said.

    “This is writ large from the facts as they have emerged before this Court as well. The High Court has in these circumstances correctly come to the conclusion that there was collusion between the developer and the planning authority”, the bench said.

    It added that the rampant increase in unauthorized constructions across urban areas, particularly in metropolitan cities where soaring values of land place a premium on dubious dealings has been noticed in several decisions of this Court.

    “This state of affairs has often come to pass in no small a measure because of the collusion between developers and planning authorities,” the bench said, adding that from commencement to completion, the process of construction by developers is regulated within the framework of law.

    It pointed out that the regulatory framework encompasses all stages of construction, including allocation of land, sanctioning of the plan for construction, regulation of the structural integrity of the structures under construction, obtaining clearances from different departments (fire, garden, sewage, etc.), and the issuance of occupation and completion certificates.

    “While the availability of housing stock, especially in metropolitan cities, is necessary to accommodate the constant influx of people, it has to be balanced with two crucial considerations — the protection of the environment and the well-being and safety of those who occupy these constructions,” it said.

    The top court said the regulation of the entire process is intended to ensure that constructions which will have a severe negative environmental impact are not sanctioned.

    “Hence, when these regulations are brazenly violated by developers, more often than not with the connivance of regulatory authorities, it strikes at the very core of urban planning, thereby directly resulting in an increased harm to the environment and a dilution of safety standards,” the bench said, adding, “Hence, illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law”.

    It said that the judgments of this Court spanning the last four decades emphasize the duty of planning bodies, while sanctioning building plans and enforcing building regulations and bye-laws to conform to the norms by which they are governed.

    “A breach by the planning authority of its obligation to ensure compliance with building regulations is actionable at the instance of residents whose rights are infringed by the violation of law,” it said.

    The bench, in its 140-page verdict said that their quality of life is directly affected by the failure of the planning authority to enforce compliance and lauded the efforts of home buyers in pursuing the litigation for their rights.

    “Unfortunately, the diverse and unseen group of flat buyers suffers the impact of the unholy nexus between builders and planners. Their quality of life is affected the most. Yet, confronted with the economic might of developers and the might of legal authority wielded by planning bodies, the few who raise their voices have to pursue a long and expensive battle for rights with little certainty of outcomes,” the bench said.

    It said as “this case demonstrates, they are denied access to information and are victims of misinformation. Hence, the law must step in to protect their legitimate concerns”.

    The top court said that the sanction given by NOIDA on November 26, 2009 and March 2, 2012 for the construction of T-16 (Apex tower) and T-17 (Ceyane tower) is violative of the minimum distance requirement under the Noida Building Regulations of 2006, 2010 and National Building Code of 2005.

    “The appellant (Supertech Ltd) has raised false pleas and attempted to mislead this Court, while the officials of NOIDA have not acted bona fide in the discharge of their duties,” the bench said.

    The Noida Authority on Tuesday said it will ensure full compliance with the Supreme Court’s order on demolishing Supertech’s two 40-storey illegal towers.

    Noida Authority’s Chief Executive Officer Ritu Maheshwari said the Authority will also ensure action against department’s officials who are found guilty of violating rules in the episode.

    The senior IAS officer, who joined the Noida Authority as its CEO in July 2019, said the violations in the Supertech’s Emerald Court housing project occurred between 2004 and 2012 after which the matter reached the Allahabad High Court and eventually the Supreme Court.

    “The sanctions from the Noida Authority in this project were made from 2004 to 2012. In 2012, the high court had ordered the demolition of the twin towers on a petition of residents but in 2014, the builder had secured a stay on the high court’s order with the Supreme Court giving its final order to demolish the two towers today,” Maheshwari said.

    “Once we get the order, we will have it studied for ensuring detailed action and full compliance of the Supreme Court order on the demolition of the twin towers in a time-bound manner,” she told PTI.

    “Action will also be insured against the then officials of Noida Authority and the real estate group after an inquiry as per procedures,” the officer said.

    The CEO also flagged that the matter was brought to the notice of senior officials later and a departmental inquiry has been initiated against an erring officer.

    “An official had been attending court meetings for seven years but did not bring it to the notice of senior officers in time. Departmental action has been initiated against the official,” she said.

  • Supertech to file review petition against SC order to demolish twin towers in Noida

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Realty firm Supertech Ltd on Tuesday said it will file a review petition against the Supreme Court order to demolish the company’s twin 40-storey towers in Noida for violation of building by-laws.

    Supertech Managing Director Mohit Arora said the company will file a review petition in the Supreme Court.

    The twin 40-storey towers are part of the company’s Emerald Court project, which is located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

    On Tuesday, the apex court also said that the entire amount of home buyers be refunded with 12 per cent interest from the time of the booking and the Residents Welfare Association be paid Rs 2 crore for the harassment caused due to the construction of the twin towers.

    A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah said the April 11, 2014 verdict of the Allahabad high court, which directed demolition of twin towers, does not deserve any interference.

    It said the construction of Supertech’s twin 40-storey towers having 915 flats and shops was done in collusion with NOIDA authority and the high court was correct in holding that view.

    The bench said that demolition exercise of the twin towers be carried out within three months under the supervision of NOIDA authority and an expert agency, and the cost of the entire exercise has to be borne by Supertech Ltd.

    Further, the bench said that recently it has seen rampant unauthorised construction in metropolitan areas in collusion with planning authorities and it has to be dealt with sternly.

    Noida-based Supertech has developed many real estate projects in Delhi-NCR.