Supertech’s illegal twin towers set to go down on Aug 28

Embattled construction company Supertech's twin towers, which were declared illegal by the Supreme Court, will be finally razed to the ground at 2.30 PM on August 28. These buildings in Sector-93 A of Noida will be destroyed using about 3,700-kg explosives, which makes them the highest buildings ever to be demolished in the country.

The buildings will be demolished under the supervision of the Noida Authority and the Central Building Research Institute.

As the date of the demolition comes near, the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) has completed all necessary preparations for the demolition of 40-storey buildings called Ceyane and Apex.

Explosives have been installed in both the buildings and the towers are expected to go down in just 9 seconds. Notably, these towers are even higher than Qutub Minar in Delhi and house 915 apartments and 21 shops.

The Supreme Court earlier ordered the demolition of the twin towers on August 21, 2022, but the Noida Authority sought some more days, following which August 28 was decided as the final date of demolition.

The twin towers will be razed after a 12-year legal battle between a group of senior citizens and the company. The Allahabad High Court had first ordered the demolition of these two towers in April 2014. The demolition order came as it was proved in the court that the structures were constructed in violation of building regulations. The HC had also ordered the company to reimburse the money to homebuyers.

However, Supertech soon appealed against the HC verdict in the Supreme Court. After several hearings, on August 31, 2021, the SC bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah upheld the Allahabad HC order and asked the company and local authorities to demolish these towers at the builder's expense. The SC bench also said the Noida Authority and the construction company had engaged in "nefarious complicity".

On January 12, 2022, the apex court once again pulled up the company for not following its order to demolish the towers. Supertech submitted its six-month-long plan, which included three and half months for demolition and the remaining two and half months for site clearance.

The top court had also ordered the real estate company to refund the entire amount to homebuyers, with 12% interest from the time of booking. It also asked the builder to pay ₹2 crore to the RWA of the Emerald Court for the harassment caused to them due to the construction of these towers; the two towers were a part of Supertech’s Emerald Court project.

The Delhi bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had also declared the embattled real estate company insolvent in March 2022. The bankruptcy court pronounced its order against a petition filed by Union Bank of India over the non-payment of dues worth ₹432 crore.

The NCLT noted that counsel for Supertech has admitted the debt and default after the company’s proposal for a one-time settlement was turned down by the Union Bank of India on March 3.

The NCLT had appointed Hitesh Goel as the insolvency resolution professional (IRP). The erstwhile management of the company on March 25, 2022, filed an appeal before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to challenge the NCLT order. In May 2022, Supertech informed the SC that it is in talks with the Union Bank of India to resolve the payment dispute.