"Hugged Each Other And Cried": Man Who Pressed Button To Raze Noida Towers

Two illegally constructed high-rise buildings in Noida were demolished today. The 100-metre-high twin towers were brought down in seconds, creating a huge cloud of dust.

Chetan Dutta, the man who pressed the button to demolish Supertech Twin Towers in Noida, said when the team behind the demolition realised it was successful, they "hugged each other and cried".

"After I pressed the button, there was a loud noise. I looked at the building, obviously there was no building, only a plume of dust. We didn't wait for the dust to settle, we put on our masks and entered the site...We realised the blast was successful, we then hugged each other and cried," he said.

Mr Dutta was approached by Edifice Engineering, which was tasked with demolishing the towers, to act as the blaster. He said that no one in the team spoke to each other after the demolition siren was sounded as all of them were "very tense".

"We reached the site half an hour before the blasting was scheduled to happen. During that half an hour, we didn't speak to each other. Everyone was tense," said Mr Dutta, who runs a firm that is involved in building demolition.

The controlled implosions using 3,700 kilograms of explosives were India's biggest demolition of its kind to date. The blast was planned to ensure that the towers fall straight down in what is called the "waterfall technique".

Thousands of people, as well as stray dogs, had to be evacuated before the blast from neighbouring high-rises, one of which was just nine metres away.

The Supreme Court last year ordered the demolition of the towers after a long legal battle found they violated multiple building regulations and fire safety norms.