Old buildings in West Kochi pose a threat to residents

Even after Corporation evicted families from buildings, many continue to stay there as they don’t have any place to go
An old woman at her makeshift house at Mahajanavadi Colony | Albin Mathew
An old woman at her makeshift house at Mahajanavadi Colony | Albin Mathew

KOCHI: Trembling walls, cracked basements and leaking roofs. This ain’t a picture from a horror movie. Our very own Mattancherry and Fort Kochi which boast of heritage status still have similar structures. With many people residing in these buildings, a catastrophe can happen any time. In the wake of the building collapse in Mumbai, Express takes a look at the current state of age-old buildings in Kochi.

Mahajanavadi and Asraj buildings have always been a nightmare for the residents. “Although many of these plots are owned by Wakf Board, the officials are least bothered about the safety of the buildings. After repeated requests, the authorities had demolished the dilapidated Asraj building a few years ago and built apartments there to rehabilitate the residents. But things are different in the case of Mahajanavadi building. The owners (Wakf Board) are still allowing people to run their shops in Mahajanavadi building,” said Abbas, a local resident.

Shops are situated on the ground floor of three-storey building and many families have been living upstairs for several years.

Mahajanavadi building, which can fall anytime, was built a century ago. “A woman fell off the first floor of the building 10 years ago as the protective fence gave way. Luckily, she escaped without any injuries. Even after the corporation evicted the families from the building, many continue to stay there as they don’t have anywhere to go,” said Nusrat, a shop owner.

Interestingly, it is not just the fate of private buildings alone.  One classic case is the SBI office building on Bazar road, Mattancherry.

“Falling of roof tiles is quite normal in the building. During monsoon, water seeps through the roof halting the functioning of offices. At times, we have to get rid of civets as well,” said an official of the SBI branch here. And, they are trying to fix the problem. “We have requested higher-ups to check the condition of the building with the assistance of a qualified engineer. All of us are scared to work here,” said S Murugan, manager of SBI Mattancherry branch.

Mahajanavadi residents dream of a better tomorrow

Though they are living under leaking shacks and are bearing the brunt of official apathy, residents of Mahajanavadi colony are optimistic. They think their problems will be addressed by the authorities soon.  “I moved to place 20 years ago. One of my sons met with an accident and became completely bedridden. Being blind, it is becoming difficult for me to live under this building which can fall any moment,” said  80-year-old Suhra. The residents here complain of lack of basic facilities also. “We hardly get regular water supply here. The water supply is only between 5 pm to 7 pm. So is the case with electricity. In case of an emergency, many of us don’t know what to do,” said Chandramathi, a resident.

Aerial view of Mattancherry, bundled with several 200-year-old buildings
Aerial view of Mattancherry, bundled with several 200-year-old buildings

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