KOCHI: “We have been living here with a heavy heart and a disturbed mind for the past two and a half years. We feel betrayed by the people who we thought stood for us. The only way forward is rehabilitation in a way that we deserve.”
Those are the words of the P&T Apartment Residents Association secretary, Saritha, who and the other occupants of the ‘newly built’ apartment complex in Mundamveli have been beset with leaking sewage and cracking walls. The residents there have welcomed Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s proposition that the two buildings would have to be demolished as they were beyond repair and the work more expensive than their actual construction outlay.
The twin towers were inaugurated on September 2, 2023, by the then local self-government minister M B Rajesh to relocate the residents of the P&T Colony located on the banks of the Perandoor Canal in the Gandhi Nagar division of Kochi corporation.
The construction of the apartment complexes had begun in 2018 and was included as a Life Mission project. However, when the families who received flats in the apartments started a new phase of their lives there, the experience was shocking.
Sewage from the flats on the upper floors started leaking into those below. The septic tanks too were improperly constructed, leading to polluted surroundings. The ceiling of some of the flats developed cracks and the walls were not well-maintained either, the residents said.
“It is true that the conditions in which we lived were very bad. But those who assured us of providing better living conditions failed us,” said Abhilash Parameswaran, president of the P&T Apartment Residents Association.
Acting on complaints regarding the poor condition of the flats, Kochi corporation had ordered a vigilance probe into the project. The Thrissur District Labour Contract Cooperative Society was the primary contractor of the project implemented by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA). Besides a delay in the completion of the project, allegations have also been raised against the low quality of materials used in the construction of the apartment complex that currently houses 78 families.
Given the chief minister’s statement during an event in Kochi on Saturday, the P&T Apartment residents are hopeful about a quick intervention to alleviate their plight.
“We wanted a permanent solution for these problems. Rehabilitation should be done in a fair way. The demolition of the flats seem to be the way out,” Abhilash said.
Former Kochi MLA Maxi K J pointed out that the intention while constructing the apartment complex was to ensure a better living condition for the residents of P&T Colony.
“What went wrong was the steel-structure building, which I believe, was resorted to for the first time in Keralam. The construction based on steel structure failed to follow the necessary standards and that aspect needs to be probed,” the CPM leader said.