“I am very, very happy. It has taken a very long time—ten years of litigation—for us to reach this moment,'' said Uday Bhan Singh Teotia, the feisty octogenarian, who was at the forefront of the battle to get the Supertech twin towers (two high-rise apartment blocks) demolished. The demolition, ordered by the Supreme Court, is scheduled for 2.30 pm, on Sunday (August 28).
“This victory is a message to builders and the authorities that they cannot get away with violating laws. It is a message that they cannot ignore the concerns of residents. This is a message for all of India,'' he said.
Teotia's fight against the illegal constructions goes back to 2009. He is a resident of Emerald Court, a housing complex built by Supertech Builders in Noida's Sector 93. The builder had plans for further construction in the complex, but the plans changed constantly. What was earlier proposed as a 14-storey tower with a shopping complex and garden area was changed into a 30-plus storey plan for not one, but two towers, Ceyane and Apex.
Although the Noida Authority cleared the plans only in 2012, the construction began in 2009. Residents who questioned the builder were stonewalled. Teotia, along with three other residents, S.K. Sharma, Ravi Bajaj and M.K. Jain, then took the matter to court. “It was not an easy fight. The builder had all the three powers on his side—money, muscle and manpower. We were undeterred, however,'' said Teotia.
He recalled how the four of them would go door to door, collecting funds for the legal battle. The matter was heard in the Allahabad High Court. They would head to Allahabad for the hearing, often in unreserved coaches in train. “Even when the others would get disheartened, I would not. I was convinced that the result would be in our favour,'' Teotia, a former Armyman and former CRPF DIG, said.
“My father fought in World War II. My son is a brigadier in the Indian Army,'' he said. “We do not give up.''
The High Court did rule in their favour in 2014, ordering demolition of the towers. The matter, however, was taken to the Supreme Court, where it dragged for another seven years. Last year, the apex court upheld the High Court's decision, and awarded a compensation of Rs 2 crore to the Emerald Court RWA. It took another year for the demolition plan to be in place. Bringing down two towers, which are merely metres away from each other, requires a very precise demolition plan with minimal impact to the surrounding structures. It will be the country's tallest buildings to be demolished.
There is just one gloom in this victory; Jain had succumbed to Covid last year.
