Published 18:00 IST, November 11th 2019
Maradu apartments in Kochi to be demolished on January 11 and 12
Chief Secretary Tom Jose while speaking to media confirmed the dates on which the buildings will be demolished and assured that there would be no inconvenience
After the Supreme Court of India ruled its decision to demolish four apartment complexes in Kochi's Maradu for violating the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules, it has now been decided that buildings will now be pulled down on January 11 and 12. Kerala Chief Secretary Tom Jose while speaking to the media confirmed the dates on which the buildings will be demolished and assured that there would be no inconvenience to anyone. Mumbai based Edifice Engineering and Tamil Nadu based company Vijay Steels and Explosives have been entrusted with the duties to demolish the buildings as ordered by the Supreme Court.
'People residing within 200 will be evacuated'
As ruled by the Supreme Court earlier, twin towers of Alfa Serene, H2O Holy Faith, Golden Kayaloram and Jains Coral Cove are the buildings which will be demolished in January. While three buildings of two apartment complexes will be demolished on January 11 whereas the remaining will be pulled down on January 12. The controlled implosion technique, in which the buildings will collapse inwards and not outwards will be used to demolish the buildings. Kerala Chief Secretary Tom Jose while speaking to the media after his meeting with the agencies entrusted to demolish the buildings said, "On January 11, two towers of Alfa Serene and H2O Holy Faith will be demolished while Golden Kayaloram and Jane Coral Cove - will be razed down on January 12. People residing within 200 metres will be evacuated for safety concerns and no one will have any inconveniences." Jose also confirmed that the Kochi city police commissioner will prepare a basic traffic plan to regulate the traffic effectively on the days of the demolition. Earlier on Friday, the contracting agencies had submitted a detailed report on how the buildings will be demolished.
Following the Supreme Court verdict on May 8, 2019 around 326 families were evicted from the four buildings in Kochi. The evicted flat owners will be given Rs 25 lakh each as temporary recompense. Movable materials like doors, windows, etc. have already been dismantled and the agencies have also started drilling holes in the apartment to fill the explosives for the implosion.
Updated 20:37 IST, November 11th 2019