A seven-member team from South African firm Jet Demolition along with Edifice Engineering will bring down the twin towers with a controlled blast at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday (August 28). They will be the tallest towers to be demolished in the country.
Asked if he is nervous, Mehta told IANS: “No, not at all. We are confident.”
He then detailed how the two towers, nestled between upmarket societies ATS Village and Emerald Court in Sector 93A, will be brought down.
“We will start with Ceyane in B1 and the top of Apex towards Aster 2 and Aster 3,” said Mehta.
The twin buildings, which comprise 915 flats and are located just nine metres from Emerald Court’s Aster-2 apartment block, have been fully rigged with explosives and wired up.
Stating that they are ready to go, Mehta said, “All inter-connections and floor-to-floor connections are complete. Now only the two buildings (Apex and Ceyane) are needed to be connected to the ignition point.”
To save the Emerald Court from damage, Mehta said they will “pull” the buildings down towards the gate to avoid rollover debris from falling on the other side.
Asked if he could explain the fall zone they have planned, Mehta said, “Basically, we are leaning the buildings towards the west side of the gate of Supertech Twin Towers. We are pulling the buildings three metres away to save Aster-2 from rollover debris. The entire pull down will be towards the gate side.”
He also assured that that there is no threat to other Superetch buildings such as Aster 2, Aster 3 and Aspire 1, which are closest to the towers.
“There will be no damage to property, only some of the glass windows might break because of the air pressure,” he said.
According to the evacuation plan, over 5,000 residents of Emerald Court and ATS Village will have to vacate the premises by 7.30 am on August 28. They will be allowed to return only after safety clearance from the officials is obtained.
Asked about the protective measures taken for gas and electricity lines, Mehta said, “The Indraprastha Gas Limited will suspend gas supply at 6.30 am on Sunday, while power supply will be turned off by the RWA members by 12 noon. It will be switched off from the main transformer located in the premises of Emerald Court.”
Edifice Engineering, the Mumbai-based demolition company, has loaded some 7,000 drilled holes with explosives.
Mehta had earlier said that experts chose plastic explosives of a variety used in the civilian sector for heavy-duty blasting, and not military-grade products.
While pollution resulting from the demotiotion remains a major concern, the drive will also leave behind over 35,000 cubic metres of debris.
As per Edifice officials and members of the Emerald Court RWA, sprinklers and some other equipment will be used to settle down the dust with the help of over 150-odd housekeepers.
“The RAW is doing its bit to cover the gardens, lawns and swimming pools,” Mehta said.
Assuring the residents of the nearby towers of the society, Mehta said: “This is not the first time that Jet Demolition is bringing down a high-rise. They have done it before in Bangkok, Lisbon and Johanneberg, where the nearest structures were just seven metres.
“Here the structures are nine metres away, so we have a margin of two metres. The entire project is masterminded by Joe Brickman, the director of Jet Demolition, who is vastly experienced in this field.”
–IANS