
KOCHI: Five years after four apartment complexes in Maradu were razed, displacing 300 flat owners, the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) has stated in a report submitted to the Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae that it is feasible to construct new buildings at the same sites.
The amicus curiae, Gourav Agarwal, will submit the report to the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Four waterfront apartment complexes – Holy Faith H2O (19-storey building with 91 apartments), Alfa Serene (17-storey building with 67 apartments), Jain Coral Cove (17-storey building with 128 apartments), and Golden Kayaloram (17-storey building with 40 apartments) – were demolished on January 11 and 12 in 2020 following a Supreme Court order for violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)-2 norms.
According to the KCZMA report, which was submitted to the amicus curiae on Monday, the entire 1,859 square metre area where the Golden Kayaloram once stood is now feasible for construction under CRZ-2. For Holy Faith H2O, 2,985 sq m out of 3,741 sq m is eligible for new construction. Jain Coral Cove can use 4,159 sq m out of 4,612 sq m and Alfa Serene can use 6,511 sq m out of 7,027 sq m for new construction, the report said.
On Golden Kayaloram, KCZMA said its inspections recognised a road that was constructed 36 years ago between the plot and the water body. The ‘Chambakkara Theeradesa Road’ between the high tide line and the flat owners’ property can be treated as authorised since it was constructed before 1996.
“The building in the petitioner’s (flat owners) property can be constructed beyond the road, towards the landward side,” the report said.
Commenting on the report, C M Varghese, president of the Golden Kayaloram Residents’ Association, said, “This means the apartment building did not violate CRZ-2 norms at the time of demolition.”
Regarding Alpha Serene, Holy Faith H2O, and Jain Coral Cove, though the report says that the absence of “authorised structures” required to draw an accurate building line indicates that permissibility cannot be ascertained entirely, the data provided by the municipality gives the details of area per square feet feasible for the construction of buildings in each of the three properties.
The CRZ-2 norms had specified that the construction of high-rise buildings were not permitted within 200 metres of water bodies, which the four buildings violated. But in the revised CRZ-3 norms, the distance from water bodies has been reduced to 50 metres.
Following petitions from the flat owners, the Supreme Court had asked KCZMA to submit a report on the feasibility of re-constructing buildings at the respective sites and appointed amicus curiae Gourav Agarwal to oversee the developments. On December 23, 2024, the special team led by the amicus curiae visited the four plots in Maradu and asked the municipality to hand over the details of authorised structures around the plots. On January 7, the municipality submitted the details to KCZMA which in turn submitted the consolidated report to the amicus curiae earlier this week.
“For the value of the property to be realised, it should either be eligible for construction or it should have a construction on the property. The Golden Kayaloram flat owners’ association is planning to reconstruct the building as per the orders of the Supreme Court. In the case of other flats, we expect an expert from KCZMA to visit the sites to resolve the dispute regarding the building lines. Still, a significant part of their lands can be used for reconstruction,” Varghese said.