Decision to demolish Maradu flats brings residents' life to standstill

The court’s fiat has thrown  daily lives -- from preparing food to maintaining work-life balance -- of the flats’ dwellers  into deep disarray. 

KOCHI: For the last few days, Bindu Shamsudeen has been consumed by the fear of losing her beloved home  - situated in one of the apartment complexes at Maradu here whose demolition was ordered by the Supreme Court for violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules.

The court’s fiat has thrown  daily lives -- from preparing food to maintaining work-life balance -- of the flats’ dwellers  into deep disarray. 

And  on Saturday, the apartment owners at Jain Coral Cove, Alfa Serene, Golden Kayaloram and H2O Holy Faith apartments --  scheduled to be razed -- began a protest at the H2O apartment complex against the apex court directive.    

“We wake up in low spirits wondering what will happen to our homes. All the families are feeling extremely depressed. As mothers, we are unable to look after our children or elders. We don’t even feel like preparing food,” said Bindu, a homemaker, who has been a resident of H2O Holy Faith for the last seven years. 

“As the crisis looms, we are not in the proper frame of mind to attend to work,” she said. According to a fellow resident, “The kitchen fires haven’t been kindled in several apartments. When there is the constant tension of losing our homes, let alone cooking or having food, we barely manage a wink of sleep”. 

Saleena Mustafa, who resides in H2O Holy Faith apartments, said one of the dwellers was admitted to the hospital on Friday night after she developed wheezing. Unable to handle the stress, her condition worsened. “We are the affected people and the court hasn’t heard our side of the story. All the documents, including those of tax payment and ownership, are clear. We have invested our life’s savings and if we are asked to move out suddenly, where are we go?” she said.

With both schools and colleges scheduled to reopen on Monday after the Onam recess, the situation is likely to become even more complicated. Some of the school and college-going students have their exams in the coming weeks. But they are hardly in a position to prepare for exams or projects. 

“We are not in the proper frame of mind to study for the exams. Completing projects have become impossible. How can we ask our parents to help us out in such a scenario?” said Saniya P, a Class IX student. 

Pensioner Francis Kammampilly, who invested the savings from his job in an accountancy firm in an apartment in Golden Kayaloram scheduled for razing, said, “It was after a lot of struggle that we managed to buy this place. For that we availed ourself of a home loan, besides sinking our life’s earnings. It is almost inconceivable if we are asked to clear out.”  

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