Month: August 2022

The Edifice official Chetan Dutta said that the demolition of the Supertech Twin Towers in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida was 100 per cent successful.

Expressing that he was “just 70 metres” away from the building, Dutta said, “The demolition was 100 per cent successful. It took 9-10 seconds for the entire building to demolish.”
“There were ten people in my team, seven foreign experts and 20-25 people from Edifice Engineering,” the Edifice Official added.

“Our production was 100 per cent successful. We were crying when we entered the tower after the explosion. Our major concern was Emerald court which is completely safe,” he further said.

As the twin towers in Noida were reduced to rubble on Sunday, Supertech maintained that the building plans of the project including the two towers were “approved by the Noida Authority in 2009, which was strictly in accordance with the then prevailing Building Bye-laws announced by the State Government”.

The real-estate developer said that while it respects the order by the top court, no deviation from the building plan was made and the building was constructed after making full payment to the Authority.

“The building plans of the Project including the two towers were approved by the Noida Authority in 2009 which was strictly in accordance with the then prevailing Building Bye-laws announced by the State Government. No deviation from the Building Plan was made and the Building was constructed after making full payment to the Authority. However, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has not found the construction satisfactory on technical grounds and accordingly issued orders to demolish the two towers. We respect the orders of the Apex Court and are committed to implementing the same,” the statement issued by the developer said.

It further said that the work of demolition has been awarded to a “world-renowned agency”.

The Supreme Court had, in its order reaffirmed the order of the Allahabad High Court which stated that Supertech has to demolish the towers at its own expense.

“We have awarded the work of demolition to a world-renowned agency, Edifice Engineering which has expertise in carrying out safe demolition of high-rise buildings,” it said.

However, Supertech assured the home buyers that the order of the Supreme Court will not affect any other ongoing project and that all other projects will continue. “And we are committed to complete construction and delivering the flats to the allottees as per the scheduled time,” it said.

In 2011, the Residents Welfare Association filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court. It was alleged that the UP Apartment Owners Act, 2010 was breached during the construction of the towers. The homeowners claimed that the two towers had less than 16 metres of distance between them which was in violation of the law. The original space designated for the garden in the original plan was allegedly used to erect the twin towers.

In 2012, the Authority approved the new plan proposed in 2009, ahead of the commencement of the hearing in the Allahabad High Court.

In April 2014, the Allahabad High Court delivered the judgment in favour of the RWA while also passing an order to demolish the twin towers. It asked Supertech to demolish the towers at its own expense and also refund the money of the homebuyers along with 14 per cent interest.

In May 2014, the Noida Authority and Supertech moved to the Supreme Court stating that the construction of the twin towers was according to the regulations.

In August 2021, however, the Supreme Court affirmed the order of the Allahabad High Court and ordered to demolish the towers while also stating that the construction had been made in violation of the regulations.

Meanwhile, the Supertech twin towers came crashing down within a span of nearly nine seconds after the use of 3,700 kg explosives on Sunday, thus ending a nine-year-long legal battle.

The towers, Apex (32 floors) and Ceyane (29 floors), which are taller than the Qutub Minar in the national capital, were 100 metres tall and were brought down with explosives weighing at least 3,700 kg, in the biggest ever planned tower demolition bid.

Soon after the explosion that took place at the press of a button, the towers came crashing down, generating a cloud of massive dust and thus polluting the atmosphere around.

However, the Environment Department of the Uttar Pradesh government has installed six Special dust machines at the demolition site to monitor pollution levels.

“Pollution levels will be recorded before, during and after the explosion. The amount of PM 10 and PM 2.5 will be checked through this machine. Its report will come in the next 24 hours,” said a technician, Umesh. (ANI)

Former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy initiated a legal notice against Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, and others including the makers of the upcoming movie ‘Ram Setu’ on Sunday.

In this regard, Swamy took to Twitter and said, “Mumbai cinema [or is it sin-e-ma] wallas have a bad habit of falsifying and misappropriation. Hence to teach them Intellectual Property Rights, I have through Satya Sabharwal Adv issued Legal Notice to Cine Actor Akshay Kumar(Bhatia) and 8 others for distorting Ram Setu saga.”
Advocate Satya Sabarwal in the legal notice stated, “my client in 2007, has successfully argued before the Supreme Court for the preservation and protection of the Rama Setu and had opposed the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project of the Government of India which envisaged rupturing the Rama Setu [held to be sacred by Hindus], on August 31, 2007, the Supreme Court was pleased to pass stay Order against any plan to demolish or damage the Rama Setu. This was on the grounds that faith and worship is a constitutional imperative.”

The notice further stated, “It has come to my Client’s knowledge that, a Movie namely Ram Setu has been filmed and is set to be released on August 24. That Court proceedings are an integral part of saving the Ram Setu being demolished by previous Governments and if the same is being picturized in the Addressee’s film, then my Client has contributed in the film vide the Court proceedings initiated and my Client is bound to be recognized for the same with correct picturization of original facts and the Original Petitioner’s name used anywhere in the film.”

It is submitted that this Notice is being sent to check and prevent any false, wrong, and mala fide representation of facts with respect to the Court proceedings [including but not limited to] or otherwise in the Movie namely Ram Setu. That it is also important to mention, the Script/frames with respect to the Court proceedings related to Ram Setu be shared with my Client to further prevent any falsification of facts and wrong picturization of facts and circumstances which transpired in the past.

The legal notice also stated that in order to attempt to amicable resolve the issue, give an undertaking of acknowledgement of Swamy’s contribution through the Courts in the opening credits of the Film.

The Notice also advised that in the event of any clarification with respect to any content of the movie the filmmakers may seek assistance from Swamy for correct picturization in any frame/scene related to the Legal proceedings related to Ram-Setu and “share a copy of the final script and also to invite my Client to watch the Film before release to check the picturization of facts accurately.”

Ram Setu is the upcoming movie directed by Abhishek Sharma. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and Satya Dev, who follow an archaeologist investigating the nature of Ram Setu.

Adam’s Bridge or Ram Setu is a chain of natural limestone shoals, connecting India and Sri Lanka. (ANI)

Former Army Chief Gen VK Singh on Sunday underlined the “drastic” change in the security situation in Uttar Pradesh since Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister and said that the people can now move out of their houses in the dark without fear of snatching incidents.

Gen Singh, who is also a Minister in the Narendra Modi government, took a swipe at the previous governments in the state over the law and order stating that people were scared to move of their houses after dark, which is not the case under the Yogi government.
The Ghaziabad MP was speaking at the launch of book ‘Yogi Ramrajya’ by author Chetna Negi on the role of the UP Chief Minister in improving the law and order situation in the state.

“As the Member of Parliament from Ghaziabad, I know that there was a time when people either waited for daylight or carried weapons to travel on highways at night. However, after the Yogi government came to power, the situation has changed drastically and there is no fear,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Uttar Pradesh’s Additional Chief Secretary Navneet Sehgal said that the UP Chief Minister has proved to be a top administrator as could be seen during the COVID crisis where crores of workers were taken care of by the state when they were returning from other states.

“A large number of workers were from outside the state but the Chief Minister did not discriminate and took a quick decision that all those passing through the state would be provided meals and shelter,” he said.

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat termed the UP Chief Minister as a strict administrator with the heart of a saint who works round the clock for the welfare of the poor. (ANI)

As the Supertech Twin Towers in Sector 93A, Noida are all set to be imploded at 2.30 pm on Sunday, the Noida Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar said that they are moving towards the countdown.

“Everything is fully ready, we are moving towards the countdown,” said Alok Kumar, Noida CP.

The towers, 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 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.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh S informed that the expressway will be closed around 2.15 pm and will be resumed to people’s service half an hour after the explosion.

“Expressway only to be closed right before the blast at around 2.15 pm. It will be opened half an hour after the blast, soon as the dust settles down. The instant command centre has 7 CCTV cameras. Traffic expert here along with us, monitoring all congestion points,” DCP Rajesh S said adding that 560 police personnel, 100 people from reserve forces, four Quick Response Teams and NDRF teams have been deployed at the site.

“Traffic diversion points have been activated,” the DCP added.

As soon as the cranes to demolish the tower started coming in, the police announced to vacate the area around it and a green corridor was also established to look after any emergency situation.

“A green corridor has been established to attend to any emergency situation. Traffic diversion plans are being implemented in the area,” Ganesh Prasad Saha, DCP, Traffic said.

Two housing societies, including 40 towers, next to the Supertech Twin Towers were fully evacuated, ahead of demolition at 2.30 pm with 560 police personnel, 100 people from reserve forces, 4 Quick Response Teams and NDRF team deployed in the area.

A resident of the Emerald Court at Silver City housing complex, Zeeshan said that the residents of two housing societies near the twin towers have been evacuated and people have covered their doors and windows to prevent dust from entering the houses.

“Residents …have covered the door and windows to prevent dust from entering the house and I have taken down wall hangings as a precautionary measure,” Zeeshan said.

A combined force of NGOs also worked to rescue dogs at the last moment before the demolition today.

“We have today saved almost 30-35 dogs. We are working on getting out to each and every one of them,” said an NGO member.

For the successful demolition of the Twin Tower in Noida, a Special dust machine has been installed at the site to monitor pollution levels after it collapses in Sector 93A, of Uttar Pradesh’s Noida.

“We filed a petition in High Court in 2012. We are very happy to have won this battle of 10 years. Long-term benefits of demolition will be seen in three months,” said UBS Teotia, Resident Welfare Association (RWA) President, Emerald Court and petitioner in the Twin Towers case. (ANI)

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said that after all the required formalities, if necessary, the actor Sonali Phogat death case will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In an exclusive interaction with ANI, CM Sawant said, “Haryana CM Khattar spoke with me and requested a thorough investigation into the case. He wants CBI to take over the case after family members met him in person and requested the same.”
Giving a green signal and showcasing his support for the investigation, he said if needed, the Goa government will transfer the case to CBI for further investigation.

“I don’t have an issue with it. After all, formalities today, if required, I will give this case to CBI,” said the Goa CM on actor and BJP leader Sonali Phogat’s murder.

Earlier, one more drug peddler Rama Mandrekar was arrested by Anjuna police.

This was the fifth arrest in the case.

Earlier on Saturday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar assured Sonali Phogat’s family of a CBI probe into the actor’s death, Phogat’s sister Rupesh said after meeting CM Khattar in Chandigarh.

The Haryana government will write to the Goa government seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death of BJP leader Sonali Phogat after her family met with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in this regard, informed the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Saturday.

Family members of the deceased BJP leader Sonali Phogat met Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar at his residence here.

Goa Police on Saturday arrested two more persons in connection with the murder case of BJP leader Sonali Phogat, said Deputy Superintendent of Police, Jivba Dalvi.

The two arrested persons have been identified as Edwin Nunes, owner of Curlies Beach Shack in Anjuna, and also a suspected drug peddler Dattprashad Gaonkar.

The Police said that the investigation revealed that the drugs were supplied by a person named Dattaprasad Gaonkar who was working as a room boy in Hotel Grand Leoney Resort in Anjuna where the accused persons and the deceased lady were staying.

Further investigation is in progress. (ANI)

With Noida’s twin towers all set to be demolished today, it’s time to take a look at the story from their rise to imminent fall, ahead of the implosion scheduled at 2.30 pm.

The towers, taller than Qutub Minar in the national capital, include Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys), which are part of the Emerald Court, were found to be in violation of multiple regulations regarding construction following which a 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.
The Inception
:

The story began after a plot was allotted to Supertech Ltd in 2004 by the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) for the development of a housing society which came to be known as Emerald Court.

In 2005, the building plan for the construction of 14 towers with 10 floors each for a housing society was approved by the Authority according to the New Okhla Industrial Development Area Building Regulations and Directions 1986. Supertech was given permission to construct 14 towers with 10 storeys each. However, the restriction on the maximum height was imposed to be 37 metres. As per the original plan, 14 towers with 10 storeys each and a shopping complex along with a garden area constituted the project.

In June 2006, the company received additional land for the construction with the terms being the same. The plan was revised. According to the new plan, two more towers had to come up, in which the garden was scrapped.

In 2009, the final plan was the construction of two towers Apex and Ceyane with 40 floors each while the plan was yet to be approved.

The Destruction
:

In 2011, the Residents Welfare Association filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court. It was alleged that the UP Apartment Owners Act, 2010 was breached during the construction of the towers. The homeowners claimed that the two towers had less than 16 metres of distance between them which was in violation of the law. The original space designated for the garden in the original plan was allegedly used to erect the twin towers.

In 2012, the Authority approved the new plan proposed in 2009, ahead of the commencement of hearing in the Allahabad High Court.

In April 2014, the Allahabad High Court delivered the judgment in favour of the RWA while also passing an order to demolish the twin towers. It asked Supertech to demolish the towers at its own expense and also refund the money of the homebuyers along with 14 per cent interest.

In May 2014, the Noida Authority and Supertech moved the Supreme Court stating that the construction of the twin towers were according to the regulations.

In August 2021, however, the Supreme Court affirmed the order of the Allahabad High Court and ordered to demolish the towers while also stating that the construction had been made in violation of the regulations.

The Supreme Court has said that the date of demolition may be confirmed as August 28, with a “bandwidth of seven days” between August 29 to September 4, to take into account any marginal delay on account of technical reasons or weather conditions.

The twin towers will finally be demolished today.

However, the health impact of the resulting dust on residents will be minimal as experts overseeing the demolition will take steps to control the impact.

Dr Mrinal Sircar, Head Pulmonology and Critical Care, Fortis Noida said, “When you demolish a big structure like that, there will be dust and there would be some smoke because you are using explosives. So, the direction of the air matters. The direction of the wind should also be taken into consideration. Demolishing like this or rather an explosion happening in the open air is much safer than say underground mines.”

“The dust and gases will get diluted in the air and will get dispersed. The experts who are involved in such big demolitions will take care of all these things,” Dr Sircar added. (ANI)

In a hard-hitting response to the remarks of Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said on Saturday that his views were a violation of basic diplomatic etiquette and maybe a personal trait or reflecting a larger national attitude.

The Indian High Commission also said that Qi’s view of Sri Lanka’s northern neighbour may be coloured by how his own country behaves.
The High Commission, which made a series of tweets, also referred to Qi’s remarks on the visit of a Chinese spy vessel to Hambantota port in Sri Lanka and said his imputing a geopolitical context to the visit of a purported scientific research vessel is a giveaway.

The High Commission also referred to reports of China’s debt-trap diplomacy and said “opaqueness and debt-driven agendas are now a major challenge specially for smaller nations”.

It said Sri Lanka, which is facing an unprecedented economic crisis, needs support, not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies to serve another country’s agenda.

“We have noted the remarks of the Chinese Ambassador. His violation of basic diplomatic etiquette may be a personal trait or reflecting a larger national attitude. His view of Sri Lanka’s northern neighbour may be coloured by how his own country behaves. India, we assure him,is very different. His imputing a geopolitical context to the visit of a purported scientific research vessel is a giveaway,” the Indian High Commission said.

“Opaqueness and debt-driven agendas are now a major challenge, especially for smaller nations. Recent developments are a caution. SriLanka needs support, not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies to serve another country’s agenda,” it added.

India had earlier rejected insinuations by China that it had exerted pressure on Colombo to defer the visit of a high-tech Chinese research vessel to Hambantota port and said Sri Lanka is a sovereign country and makes its own independent decisions.

“We reject the insinuations in the statement about India. Sri Lanka is a sovereign country and makes its own independent decisions,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said at a media briefing.

Bagchi said India will make the best judgement about its security interests and it takes into account the prevailing situation in the region, specially in border areas.

The Chinese Ambassador had, in a statement, made adverse remarks about India. He also talked about scientific research activities of the vessel ‘Yuan Wang 5’ and said “external obstruction based on so-called ‘security concerns’ but without any evidence from certain forces is de facto a thorough interference into Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence”.

A report in Ceylon Today said Sri Lanka is currently negotiating a loan from the IMF said to be to the tune of USD three billion to get over its foreign exchange crisis but while the ‘G7’ (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and the USA) countries have agreed to restructure Sri Lanka’s debt, not so China.

Responding to Sri Lanka’s request for China to change its tune on debt relief, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy said the ball is in Sri Lanka’s court, not China’s.

The spokesman told Daily Mirror China communicated to the Sri Lankan Finance Ministry three months ago about its readiness to discuss how to address the debt issue with the Chinese banks.

Sri Lanka’s total bilateral debt was estimated at $6.2 billion at the end of 2020 by the IMF.

Japan and China hold the largest shares. India has provided around USD 4 billion to help keep Sri Lanka’s economy afloat, mainly through credit lines and swaps this year. Sri Lanka also has $14 billion of international sovereign bond debt.

China’s strategy to lure countries into its debt trap beguiled Sri Lanka to be dependent heavily on China for economic support, and military equipment. Sri Lanka also took loans in bulk for various development projects.

But during the recent crisis in the country, when for months, Sri Lanka has been pleading with China for more support, but to no avail, Channel News Asia reported.

Beijing has done little to help the country through its devastating economic meltdown, providing far less aid than India.

India moved in to alleviate Sri Lanka’s desperate food and fuel shortages with over USD 3.8 billion of assistance. Beijing, by contrast, provided a relatively paltry USD 74 million.

While India extended a currency swap arrangement with Sri Lanka in April, the People’s Bank of China has suspended its own swap line because the country lacks sufficient foreign exchange reserves.

China has also expressed a reluctance to write off its Sri Lankan loans, playing into accusations of stinginess when it comes to debt renegotiations. China’s record in this area has shown a refusal to negotiate debt relief with other creditors and a preference for engaging in secretive, bilateral loan restructurings. (ANI)

Several political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday met veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is planning to launch a new national party, a day after tendering resignations from all posts of Congress.

“MLAs from Jammu and Kashmir are here. A few more-some senior leaders and ex-ministers-will come in the evening. Azad Sa’ab said a national party will be formed, we’ll begin from J&K and the upcoming poll will be fought strongly. Don’t want to reply to comments, we’ll reply with a victory,” said ex-Congress leader Salman Nizami.
The meeting came within 24 hours of Azad’s resignation from all posts in Congress and it holds importance as the polls in the valley are likely to be held later this year.

“Under the leadership of Azad ji we will launch a national party and the work will begin from Jammu and Kashmir. Azad ji will go to J&K and will form an alliance with like-minded parties and leaders. All the criticism coming Azad Ji’s way will be answered by winning elections,” ex- Congress leader Salman Nizami had earlier announced.

The decision to launch a new national party came just hours after the veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, in a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi resigned from all positions of the Congress party including the primary membership.

Reactions from numerous political leaders poured in after the sudden resignation.

Lawyer-turned-politician Jaiveer Shergill slammed the Congress party for its ‘coterie culture.’

Recently Shergill had resigned as Congress spokesperson.

“Now a senior leader is speaking about it becoming a club of PAs and security guards and it shows that leaders across age groups are frustrated and disappointed by this entire coterie culture that is thriving in the Congress,” Shergill told ANI.

He also slammed the upcoming Bharat Jodo Yatra by Congress and said, “Bharat Jodo is a PR gimmick. In reality, this cabal is working within Congress on ‘Congress Todo Abhiyan’, elbowing out all the well-meaning leaders. This letter speaks loudly of sentiments of thousands of well-meaning Congress workers who are troubled by this ‘Darbari’ culture.”

Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Friday took a dig at Ghulam Nabi Azad over his resignation from the party and his allegations against Rahul Gandhi and said “no one expected he would write such a letter”.

“I read the statement of Azad, he has been my friend for over 42 years, I am deeply hurt, and I have no words to express what I feel about his resignation letter. The party gave him opportunities, be it Indira Gandhi or Sanjay Gandhi. He served at many positions in the party be it being MP from Maharashtra twice, five-six times Rajya Sabha member. Congress left no dearth in giving him opportunities. Whatever identity we have in the country, it is because of Congress and the faith of high command has on us. Only a few get a chance and not everyone. It is a challenge before the high command to select. No one expected he would write such a letter,” Gehlot said.

This latest high-profile exit from the Congress party comes after the polls for the Congress President were deferred. Azad’s resignation follows a series of exits of senior leaders from the party, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jaiveer Shergil, and Jitin Prasada, amongst others. (ANI)