KOCHI: Ahead of the Supreme Court’s final judgment in the Maradu flat demolition case on Friday, residents of the ill-fated complexes on Tuesday alleged that other similar or even bigger Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations by leading corporate names were being treated with kid gloves. They also demanded that the government publish a white paper on all violations of environmental norms across the state.
“There are almost 1,000 buildings built illegally and in direct violation of CRZ norms within the Maradu municipality limits alone. Recently, when the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) searched for files regarding the violations for a query raised in the Lok Sabha, a file on 65 major violations across the state was found missing. This shows that the law and order system in Kerala is only applicable for lesser mortals,” Shamsudheen Karunagappally, president, Holy Faith H2O Residents’ Association, told reporters.
“The big fishes always escape legal actions. The government must publish a white paper on all constructions that violated zonal classification rules across the state,” he said.The apartment owners also slammed the builders of the four apartment complexes facing demolition as well as the municipality officials who supported the illegal land transactions.“The government should book the builders who cheated the residents as well as the officials who siphoned off the money by allowing the constructions,” said George Kovoor, president, Jain Coral Cove Residents’ Association.
Change in stand
With three days left before the final verdict, the residents have softened their approach towards eviction and requested the government to follow the standing rules before the process. “If they decide to go ahead with the demolition, we request them to follow the procedural steps laid down by the apex court. We are also expecting there won’t be any forcible eviction and the government will issue prior notice and follow other formalities before evicting us,” said George Kovoor.