Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 | Last Update : 07:58 PM IST

  India   All India  12 Jan 2020  Kochi: 2 high-rises razed for flouting CRZ norms

Kochi: 2 high-rises razed for flouting CRZ norms

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : Jan 12, 2020, 1:33 am IST
Updated : Jan 12, 2020, 1:33 am IST

Buildings were constructed close to Vembanad lake.

The second tower of waterfront residential apartment Alpha Serene is  demolished using controlled implosion in Kochi on Saturday. (Photo: AP)
 The second tower of waterfront residential apartment Alpha Serene is demolished using controlled implosion in Kochi on Saturday. (Photo: AP)

Thiruvananthapuram: Two of the flats constructed in violation of CRZ rules were demolished through controlled implosion in Maradu in Kochi on Saturday.

Holy Faith H2O and Alfa Serene Twin towers came crashing within seconds after the controlled blasts were triggered off with precision.  The demolitions were carried out following the Supreme Court directive in May 2019.

The two buildings were demolished within a space of minutes. Though a portion of Alfa Serene building fell into the lake, authorities said there was no major cause of worry. The debris will be removed within 70 days.

Two other apartments Jain Coral Cove apartment complex which has 17 floors and 122 flats will be razed at 11 am on January 12 (Sunday) and it will be followed the demolition of 17-floor Golden Kayaloram which has 40 flats, at 2 pm.

Holy Faith H20 was the first of the apartment complexes to be demolished at 11.18 am. Thousands of people thronged the area to witness the unprecedented sight of the high rise apartment buildings coming crashing within seconds.

Since the district administration had imposed prohibitory orders, the people witnessed the spectacle outside the restricted area of 200 meters. There was a delay of 15 minutes in the demolition owing to last-minute requirements.

Earlier people living in and around the apartment structures were evacuated from the area by 9 am.

A legal battle was on for years in connection with the construction of the four buildings which violated CRZ rules as these were very close to Vembanad lake. During an inspection by local bodies vigilance wing in 2005, it was found that the Maradu panchayat (now it is a municipality) had given permits to 13 apartments buildings including the four which are now being demolished, for carrying out construction activities in violation of CRZ norms.

Though the Supreme Court had ordered the demolition by September 20, because of Kerala Government’s slackness it could be executed. The apex court took strong exception to the "go slow" approach of the government.

Ernakulam Collector S Suhas who visited the site after the controlled implosion told reporters that the demolition exercise was executed in a near-perfect manner.  He said a portion of the debris of Alfa Serene 2 had fallen into the adjoining lake but that was done deliberately to avoid any destruction or damage to the residential houses closely. There were apprehensions regarding the safety of Thevara-Kundannoor bridge which is located very close to Holy Faith H2O.

The officials of Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) officials said that there was no damage to the bridge or the houses in the vicinity after the preliminary round of inspection.

The Holy Faith H2O controlled implosion was carried out by Mumbai Based Edifice Engineers in association with South Africa’s Jet Demolishers.

Alfa Serene was demolished by Chennai based Vijaya Steels.

Experts said 212.4 kg of explosives were used to demolish the 19-storey H2O which had 91 apartments. Alfa Serene twin-towers with 16 floors each had 80 apartments and was demolished with 343 kg of explosives.

Experts’ said 943 kg of explosives would be used for carrying out controlled implosion in the four buildings. It would cost around Rs 2.32 crore.

CRZ rules violation: A legal battle was on for years in connection with the construction of the four buildings which violated CRZ rules as these were very close to Vembanad lake. During an inspection by local bodies vigilance wing in 2005, it was found that the Maradu panchayat (now it is a municipality) had given permits to 13 apartments buildings including the four which are now being demolished, for carrying out construction activities in violation of CRZ norms.

Though the Supreme Court had ordered the demolition by September 20, because of Kerala Government’s slackness it could be executed. The apex court took strong exception to the "go slow" approach of the government.

Subsequently, the Kerala chief secretary was summoned by the court and given the ultimatum to demolish the buildings.

The Supreme Court had appointed a panel headed by Justice K Balakrishnan Nair to recommend compensation to the flat owners who were evacuated from the buildings. The panel recommended payout of `19.09 crore to 107 flat owners.

The apex court had ordered the Kerala Government to grant the full interim compensation of `25 lakh each to all flat owners.

Tags: alpha serene