Edifice Engineering, the company that carried out the controlled demolition of the Supertech Twin Towers in Noida, has been roped in to demolish the 18-storey residential tower at Bengaluru’s SNN Raj Etternia that the developer has voluntarily decided to raze and rebuild after it developed a tilt.
The company will also pay financial compensation to all 49 affected homebuyers during the reconstruction period to help offset their EMI and rental expenses, with the amount linked to the size of the apartment, Anuj Sanjay Jain, Director of Operations, SNN Raj Corp, told Hindustan Times Real Estate.
“We expect the demolition to take about five to six months, while reconstruction will take around 18 months. The entire rebuilding exercise, estimated to cost around ₹20 crore, will be funded internally and there will be no financial burden on customers,” Jain said.
The demolition will be carried out using diamond wire rope cutting, a controlled dismantling technique designed to minimise vibrations and ensure the safety of the neighbouring towers, Jain said.
49 premium apartments affected
In a rare move, the Bengaluru-based developer has voluntarily decided to demolish and reconstruct the 18-storey tower barely three months after it received an Occupancy Certificate (OC), even though all 49 apartments had been sold and were ready for handover.
The affected block is part of SNN Raj Etternia, a residential project near Kudlu, off Hosur Road in South Bengaluru. The township comprises 972 apartments across around 15 towers, with the structural issue confined to Block E-3, which houses 49 premium apartments. Of the 972 units, 822 have already been handed over, while 150, including these 49 apartments, are yet to be delivered. Each apartment has an average ticket size of about ₹1.5 crore. Construction of the block began in 2022.
“The project has 972 apartments, of which 822 have already been handed over. Around 150 units are yet to be delivered, including these 49 apartments. Detailed investigations were carried out on all the other towers, and the readings were consistent. The issue is confined to this one block because two boreholes contained incorrect soil data,” Jain said.
The company has informed the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) about the development.
“Since the project has already received an Occupancy Certificate, there is no provision under RERA to seek an extension of the completion timeline. This is an unprecedented situation,” he said.
Compensation for buyers
Jain said the reconstruction will be entirely funded by the company.
“There will be zero financial burden on our customers. We have planned for the reconstruction internally and communicated the same to buyers, who have been very supportive.”
The company has also designed a customer care package.
“We will pay every affected homebuyer during the reconstruction period to help cover EMIs and rental expenses,” he said.
According to Jain, buyers were initially shocked but later appreciated the company’s decision. “They were naturally disappointed in the beginning. But once we explained why we had chosen to rebuild rather than repair the tower, they understood and supported our decision. It is an unfortunate and extremely rare situation, but we believe this is the only responsible course of action.”
How the issue came to light
The problem surfaced during the company’s final quality inspections, even after all approvals, including the Occupancy Certificate, had been obtained.
“We had received the OC and had started showing apartments to customers. During our final quality checks, however, our team noticed unusual undulations along the driveway. The slope had reversed in certain places, which was highly unusual. We immediately called our structural engineers,” he explained.
A fresh geotechnical investigation revealed that the original soil report used to design the tower was inaccurate.
“The new investigation showed a complete mismatch with the earlier soil report,” he said.
Jain said the tilt is not visible to the naked eye.
“The differential settlement has resulted in a deviation of around 200 mm in a 60-metre-high tower, which can only be detected through specialised monitoring instruments,” he said.
Although consultants suggested stabilising the structure through micro-piling, the company rejected the option.
“We were told the building could be stabilised, but there was still a possibility that structural issues could arise 10 to 15 years later. We were not willing to pass that risk on to our customers,” he said.
“Naturally, we were very disappointed at first. But once we understood the developer’s intention, we felt relieved. We are confident the company will handle the situation responsibly. We had inspected the apartment and found no defects, but the developer chose not to hand over possession after identifying the issue,” said Ashok Patel, one of the affected homebuyers.
How is this different from other residential demolitions?
The Bengaluru case differs from the country’s other high-profile residential demolitions.
Also Read: Supertech twin towers: SC defers hearing on plea seeking refund for homebuyers
The Supertech Twin Towers in Noida were demolished in 2022 following a Supreme Court order after they were found to have been constructed in violation of building regulations. Similarly, the Maradu apartment complexes in Kochi were demolished in 2020 pursuant to a Supreme Court order for violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
The Chintels Paradiso case in Gurugram involved structural safety concerns after a partial collapse in 2022, following which multiple towers were declared unsafe.
In contrast, the SNN Raj Etternia tower is being demolished voluntarily by the developer before possession has been handed over, after detecting a geotechnical issue during final quality checks.
