Kochi: A five-member team from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, on Wednesday began a field study on the environmental impact of the demolition of five apartment complexes in Maradu here, which were constructed in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone norms.
The experts visited ‘H2O Holy Faith,’ one of the affected apartment complexes, and collected soil samples and the building structure plan. They also sought the details of the Coastal Regulation Zone classification of the area and sewage treatment plant facility.
“The team asked us to submit the structure plan of the remaining four flats and the land use pattern of the area before winding up the visit that lasted an hour. They are conducting the study based on a request from the state government,” said an official of the Maradu municipality.
The Supreme Court on May 8 had ordered the municipality to demolish the flats within a month’s time after finding that the structures were constructed violating the stringent CRZ norms. However, the apex court on June 10 froze the demolition for six weeks after around 400 affected families moved a review petition in which they pointed out that they were not given an opportunity to be heard.
Earlier, the state environment department had approached the IIT seeking its help in preparing a report on the environmental impact of demolition, the manner in which the buildings have to be razed and a course of plan to be followed in such activity elsewhere.
The expert team headed by Ravindra Gettu, professor, Building Technology and Construction Management Division, is expected to submit the study report in a month’s time. Officials of the Maradu municipality, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment and the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority assisted the team in the field inspection.
