KOCHI: The High Court-appointed district committee headed by the collector has said that the Rs 175-crore proposal by the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) is only for the demolition and reconstruction of the Chander Kunj Army Towers in Vyttila. The rent amount for flat owners should be allocated separately, it said.
The rent compensation for the residents of the two towers had been a point of dispute, leading to a lag in the evacuation, demolition, and reconstruction of the towers. The district committee will file its findings in the court on April 3.
“After very detailed studies by the district committee, we find it nowhere mentioned that the rent amount is also included in the Rs 175-crore proposal. The High Court judgement and the counter affidavit filed by AWHO only mention the amount to be used for demolition and reconstruction. But AWHO is not ready to comply with this,” Collector N S K Umesh said.
According to the estimate submitted by the PWD, the demolition will cost around Rs 10 crore and the reconstruction another Rs 168 crore, taking the expenses beyond the Rs 175-crore budget proposed by AWHO.