KOCHI: The excitement on the faces of spectators was evident as the apartments were ready for demolition on Saturday. However, there were many who travelled from other districts to have a glimpse of the implosion. From senior citizens to young ones, spectators were gushing into Maradu.
Abdul Jabbar, who came from Ambalappuzha, Alappuzha, said he was excited to see how implosion was carried out in Kerala. “I have seen buildings being demolished in Saudi Arabia. However, there the buildings used to be covered fully and the implosion done secretly. But, Maradu has a festive mood. As the demolition continues on Sunday, the pollution level will rise,” he said.
Lasar Samuel, a contractor from Thiruvananthapuram, said that the government should have handed over the building to some charity organisation rather than demolishing it. “However, if the buildings were let off, it would have encouraged many to violate the rules again. It is a warning to all builders. The government should show more interest in curbing such violators.”
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Shaji V M, a retired employee from Vadakkencherry, Palakkad, started at 5.00 am to reach Maradu before the demolition time. He said the excitement of seeing a building demolition in real had forced to visit Maradu. He had visited the Holy Faith H2O apartment when the Supreme Court verdict on demolition was issued. “It is sad to see a beautiful building going down. However, the environment needs to be looked after too. I feel that the court should have imposed a heavy penalty on the builders. From what I heard, the flat owners have the right to build it again. Then what is the use of this demolition?”
Aravind K, a native of Manjeri, Malappuram, was of the opinion that buildings that violate the rules should be demolished. “Being a real estate dealer, we find that these kind of violations affect our business also. I had a rental enquiry for a flat in this apartment some months back. Luckily I didn’t take it up. Since there are many other apartments in the violation zone, I believe the demolition scene may become regular in Kochi. The demolition process was unbelievable. It was done with perfection and the people were in awe witnessing that,” he said.
“The court should have imposed a hefty penalty on the builders so that no one will have the courage to violate CRZ norms again. Rather than demolishing, the government should have taken over the buildings and used them for some of their projects,” said Thomas Mathew, an employee of Infopark.