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Ambulances & fire engines at site, strays evacuated — Stage set for demolition of twin towers

Both government and private hospitals are on alert. Noida and Edifice officials are confident that the demolition will be executed smoothly.

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New Delhi: The countdown has begun for the demolition of Supertech twin towers with less than 24 hours left for what happens to be India’s biggest such exercise that will take place on Sunday afternoon.

Even though the towers are ready to be demolished, last-minute safety arrangements are still underway. As many as 9,400 holes have been drilled into the towers and 3,500 kg of explosives have been planted to carry out the demolition that is scheduled for 2.30 pm.

“There will be no problems. We have taken ample care so that nothing goes wrong,” Uttkarsh Mehta, a partner at Edifice Engineering, had earlier told ThePrint

Uttkarsh and Mayur Mehta, the project manager at Edifice Engineering, will be present at the site when a team from their Mumbai-based company and those from South Africa-based specialist Jet Demolition will carry out the final act to reduce the 40-storey towers to rubble.

Even as the Edifice officials are confident of executing the work safely, disruption can be massive  if there is slightest of any problem. And, Noida authorities and police are not ready to take any risk.

New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida) senior executive Vikas told ThePrint that ambulances, fire ambulances and fire brigades will be ready on the site to deal with any emergency. “Nearly 1 km radius of the building will be restricted (for entry to carry out the demolition) ,” he  said.

The roads leading to the towers are now barricaded | Amogh Rohmetra | ThePrint
The roads leading to the towers are now barricaded | Amogh Rohmetra | ThePrint

“(Noida-Greater Noida) Expressway near the demolition site will also remain closed for an hour. There will be a dedicated team to clear the residual debris, so that people don’t face problems after the demolition,” the official said.

Vikas said the Noida Authority is confident that no mishap will happen.

Mayur Mehta, the project manager at Edifice, had earlier told ThePrint that he was expecting  the operation to go smoothly, “The only possible damage, if any, can be to the glasses in nearby buildings,” he had said.

While the demolition has its own risks, engineers, authorities and medical staff are confident about the exercise. Noida authorities have arranged for six ambulances on the spot in case of an emergency.


Also Read:3,500 kg explosives, 15 seconds — how Noida’s Supertech twin towers will be demolished tomorrow


Hospitals on standby

Both government and private hospitals are busy with their own preparations. ThePrint visited Jaypee and Felix hospitals which have been roped in if there is an emergency. Ambulances from the hospital are on standby.

Dr. Salil Malik, Head of Department, Emergency medicine at Felix hospital, said that precautions were being taken by authorities as well as the hospitals.

“From 1 pm to 5 pm, we have put the hospital on standby. There will be three ambulances, including a bigger one with ventilator. A nodal officer from the government will be in touch with us.” he told ThePrint while giving details of the preparations,

In case of emergency, code-yellow will be announced by the hospital . Code yellow means that there is an “external disaster” and everyone will be put on high alert, ready to take any casualties.

“If a code yellow is announced, everything goes into motion,” said Dr Malik. “The hospital has allocated 30 beds, including 5 for very critical situations. Blood bank, radiology, ICU  everything will be on standby. All senior doctors will be present during the event. We have doubled our capacity and increased the beds in the emergency room.”

For the preparation of the event, mock drills were conducted earlier by the hospital.

Dr. Malik advised people with respiratory problems to remain indoors as the dust level would be more Sunday. “There will be a lot of dust, steel, and debris. … As the dust goes into the air, there is a chance of it spreading to a large area. Those people who live nearby and have asthma or breathing difficulties, should preferably remain indoors till 6-7 PM. Such residents should avoid walks and jogging for the day,” he added.

Stray animals also evacuated

While hundreds of residents of nearby Emerald Court and adjoining ATS Village societies have been asked to leave their homes by 7 am, authorities have also ordered evacuation of stray animals from the area around the Supertech twin towers. Many animal rights organisations are involved in this rescue mission.

A van is parked to take away stray animals from the site where the demolition is to be carried out on Sunday | Amogh Rohmetra | ThePrint
A van is parked to take away stray animals from the site where the demolition is to be carried out on Sunday | Amogh Rohmetra | ThePrint

A member of one such organisation, run by Dhyan Foundation in Noida, spoke to ThePrint.

“We have evacuated stray dogs and have got five of them as of now. We are continuing our efforts to evacuate all the animals. Evacuation started 3 days ago and it will continue till 7 am (Sunday),” Anuradha, a working committee member of the foundation, said. “The rescued dogs are in the shelter. Some other dogs have also been taken to boarding.”

The strays would be released only after 3-4 days after the “danger” is over, she said, adding that her colleagues were in continuous touch with Noida officials.

Shopkeepers and vendors, meanwhile, are disappointed by the chain of developments that have taken place ever since the Supreme Court decided that the illegal towers need to be razed down.

Vegetable vendors said they were expecting many customers from those families moving to the twin towers but “we have now lost out on it”. “Our business has suffered in the last one week. Most of the people have gone out on vacation and to their hotels. There are no deliveries taking place. We are suffering losses up to Rs 10,000 daily,” Wasim, a vegetable vendor next to the tower, said, referring to the families which have shifted out temporarily.

(Edited by Tony Rai)


Also Read: How builders like Parsvnath sold ‘affordable’ homes dream and turned it into a nightmare


 

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