Kochi: Rs 25 Lakh for owners, panel to fix final sum

Kochi: The Supreme Court on Friday brought some relief to the residents of Maradu flats by ordering compensation to them, but insisted on the demolition of the waterfront apartments as per its earlier order. It asked the government to provide Rs 25 lakh each to the apartment owners as an interim compensation within four weeks. A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Ravindra Bhat said the government could recover the amount later from the builders who have built the apartments flouting Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Rules.

The court said a three-member committee hea-ded by a retired judge will be constituted to decide on the full compensation amount and directed the government to suggest members for the committee which will also oversee the demolition. As part of recovering the compensation amount, the court also restrained the builder-companies and their directors from selling off their assets.

Senior advocate Harish Salve appearing for the state government submitted a timeline for the demolition beginning from October 11. In an affidavit, he said the government had already initiated the process of evicting the inmates and cited snapping of power and water supply as part of the steps. The court then directed the government to move ahead with the demolition as per the timeline.

The bench headed by Justice Mishra had ordered demolition of flats on May 8 on the ground that the buildings were constructed in violation of CRZ rules. A three-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court had stated that Maradu was an area under the CRZ-III category when the buildings were constructed.