KOCHI: Ahead of the demolition of old commercial buildings in the city, the Kochi Corporation will issue show-cause notices to the owners of 130 such buildings that are posing a threat to the public. The show-cause notice, which directs the building owner to demolish the structure, is set to be issued by the end of this month, said a source.
The corporation carried out the survey to prepare a list of unsafe buildings after a five-decade-old commercial building adjacent to a hotel near the Ernakulam Town railway station tilted and developed cracks in its walls. According to the survey report, a majority of such structures are located in the Edappally, Fort Kochi and Vyttila zones.
“Around 130 buildings in the city limits are in the high-risk category. Our engineers are verifying the details and also inspecting the structural stability before finalising the report. We will soon issue show-cause notices to the building owners this month itself,” said a corporation official, on condition of anonymity.
Nearly 700 shops are functioning in these old commercial buildings and the eviction is set to be a herculean task for the civic body. “A proper hearing will be conducted after issuing the show-cause notice. The buildings that are posing a threat to the public can’t be allowed to function at any cost,” said the officer.The corporation is also planning to use its own funds to demolish certain structures and recover the cost from the building owners. “The matter will be discussed in the council before making a final decision,” the officer added.
700 shops are functioning in these old commercial buildings and the eviction is set to be a herculean task for the civic body
Dangerous structures
Majority of the unsafe structures are located in Edappally, Fort Kochi and Vyttila zones in the city as per a survey conducted by the corporation.