'Immediately evacuate residents, demolish Army Towers'; HC doubles down on Chander Kunj apartment issue

KOCHI: The High Court ordered an immediate evacuation of residents of Chander Kunj Army Towers, which is under threat of collapse. The court also ordered immediate reconstruction of the same apartment building. The district collector should appoint an expert committee for the project. Residents of Tower B should be paid Rs 21,000 and residents of Tower C Rs 23,000 as monthly rent till the new tower is completed. This is to be executed by the promoters Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO).

Justice CP Muhammad Niyas disposed of all petitions related to the case. AWHO said they will earmark Rs 175 crore for evacuation of residents, demolition and reconstruction of the building. This amount should be distributed as per the decision of the committee and the work be completed on time.

These towers were built by AWHO for soldiers and ex-servicemen at Vyttila Silver Sand Island in 2018. After three years, a study conducted revealed serious structural damages in the building making it prone to collapsing.

• Structural engineer, municipal engineer, two representatives of the residents' association and an official of the town planning department should be on the expert committee. The government should cooperate to speed up the process.
• The committee members should meet every two weeks.
• The committee is empowered to decide on the design and construction technology of the tower.
• The value of usable goods in the building to be demolished should be estimated.
• Residents are liable to pay the excess amount for the new tower.
• Builders can seek permission to build additional floors and ancillary facilities.