Noida twin towers turn to dust; Residents of nearby societies get nod to return |Key points

New Delhi,Aug 29: A day after the meticulous demolition of the twin towers in Noida, the residents in the neighbouring societies have been given a go-ahead by the authorities to come back to their residences finally. In the biggest such exercise in the country, the Supertech Twin Towers Sector 93A were reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds on Sunday, nine years after a residents' association went to court against the builders.

Here are the Top developments so far

1. The apex court had pointed at the "collusion" between the builders and Noida Authority officials who let Supertech Ltd construct in the area where no buildings were to come up according to the original plans.The builders paid for the demolition, which cost about Rs 20 crore. According to the company, their overall loss is around Rs 500 crore. That includes land, construction and interest costs.
2. Many people had travelled to Noida hours ahead for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, as 3,700 kilos of explosives bored into the pillars and walls of the two residential buildings went off in quick succession.
3. Just after 2.30 pm, the floors of the twin towers collapsed onto each other in a massive stack, which sat amid other complexes in sector 93A in Noida, an Uttar Pradesh city that adjoins New Delhi. As the doomed buildings went down, a cloud of dust rose obscuring their very final moments.
4. About 5,000 people from the adjoining Emerald Court and ATS Village societies had left their homes, hours before the demolition under the evacuation plan. Nearly 3,000 vehicles and about 200 pets were also taken out of harm's way for the next several hours.
5. The dust settled in a few minutes. Officials reported cracked windows and a broken boundary wall, but apparently no significant structural damage to the high-rises next to the demolished towers. The closest residential complex was just nine metres away and the residents had complained that the illegal towers blocked their view.
6. A team from Edifice Engineering and South Africa's Jet Demolitions - the two companies that carried out the challenging task - the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) and the Noida Authority began a structural audit of the adjoining buildings.
7. Water sprinklers and anti-smog guns were activated at the site soon after the demolition to help contain the dust, an official said.
8. Officials said the demolition conducted by the "waterfall implosion" technique left an estimated 35,000 cubic metres or 55,000 tonnes to 80,000 tonnes of debris, including concrete rubble, steel and iron bars that would take three months to be disposed of. The Noida Authority, which had approved the Supertech building maps, oversaw the mega demolition exercise.
9. Now gone, the towers built under Supertech's Emerald Court project were to have 40 floors each with 21 shops and 915 residential apartments altogether -- and a fascinating view of the city. Their current market value would have been around Rs 700 crore, it is estimated.
10. Emerald Court RWA has received green signal that residents can return to the society. RWA's task force is inside the campus. Some residents have come to see their flats. Others may come after sometime.Noida Authority said residents were allowed to enter after 7pm. "All flat owners left to enter can easily move 9 pm onwards(people have started entering).No damage in supertech. ATS some 10 mt boundary wall, 10 or so window panes nd few small light poles around campus damaged.These will be restored by agency asap tomorrow onwards,''it tweeted.