Conservationists fear birds killed in Noida twin towers' demolition

Supertech twin towers. Pic/Pallav Paliwal

As the illegally built Supertech twin towers came crashing down in Noida Sector 93 A at 2:30 pm on Sunday, everyone seemed ready for the moment but not the birds in the area.

A PTI video showed a flock of birds, including crows and pigeons, taking flight as soon as 3,700 kilos of explosives bored into the pillars and walls of the two towers went off, with clouds of dust chasing them.

Conservationists said some birds may have even died in the demolition.

Sanjay Mahapatra, the founder of House of Stray Animals, said the NGO had requested authorities to conduct a dummy blast or false firing before the final implosion to save the large number of birds in the area.

Also Read: Twin towers demolition: Supertech says it lost Rs 500 cr

"Several birds might have died. We have been working to save the animals in the area since August 8. We cannot cage the birds and hence had made the request for a false firing. We are already at the demolition site and checking the area thoroughly. We can only hope that no voiceless life has been lost," he said.

Reacting to the video, several Twitter users expressed concern over the plight of the birds.

"I am looking at the birds who would have got suffocated in the dust clouds. I am sure no one thought about scaring them away before demolition," a Twitter user said.

Another Twitter user, Fahad, said authorities could have burst firecrackers to scare away the birds.

Divakar Mishra said action should be taken against those who tamper with nature. "What was the fault of these birds," he asked.

"How scary (it must have been) for everyone including the birds," another user said.

A series of controlled explosions reduced the 100-metre tall Supertech twin towers to a massive pile of rubble.

As the buildings went down, a cloud of dust rose obscuring their very final moments.

Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys) were gone in seconds in the carefully choreographed and meticulously executed demolition -- the biggest such exercise in the country so far.

About 5,000 people from the adjoining Emerald Court and ATS Village societies had left their homes hours before the demolition. Nearly 3,000 vehicles and about 200 pets were also taken out of harm's way for the next several hours.

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