Following a nine-year court struggle, authorities in a New Delhi neighbourhood demolished two residential high-rise structures in a dramatic event that was shown live on television after days of thrilling media build-up.
Another unusual instance of India taking strong measures against dishonest developers and bureaucrats was the demolition of the 100-meter-tall "Twin Towers" in Noida, which were taller than the famous Qutub Minar in New Delhi and housed a concrete jungle of identical buildings.
The 32 floors of "Apex" and the 29 floors of "Ceyane," which together contained close to 1,000 apartments that had been empty throughout nine years of legal wrangling, collapsed in a matter of seconds, generating a massive cloud of dust and debris.
#WATCH | 'Controlled implosion' turns Noida's #SupertechTwinTowers to dust pic.twitter.com/zDksI6lfIF
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2022The buildings were constructed as part of a project by real estate firm Supertech Ltd. It was accused of violating construction regulations.
Thousands of people, as well as stray dogs, had to be evacuated before the blast, including from neighbouring high-rises, one of which was reportedly just 9 metres (30 feet) away.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to nearby buildings.