The P&T Apartment Protest Committee accused the Kerala government of failing to act on the plight of 78 families living in the deteriorating residential complex at Mundamveli. It warned that the agitation would move beyond its demonstrations unless the authorities provided a concrete response to demands for safe alternative accommodation.
The threatened blockade marks a sharper phase in a dispute that has continued despite official inspections, an anti-corruption inquiry and assurances that rehabilitation options are being examined. Residents maintain that investigating alleged construction irregularities cannot substitute for immediately addressing conditions inside their homes.
Committee president Abhilash P. Parameswaran has pressed for fresh rehabilitation, ownership documents and compensation for hardships suffered since the families were relocated. Protesters also want action against those found responsible for defects in the publicly funded housing project. The allegations of wrongdoing remain subject to investigation.
The residents’ position has gained urgency following findings placed before the Kerala High Court by a court-appointed amicus curiae. The assessment recommended moving occupants to safe, habitable accommodation and identified water seepage, sewage leakage, corrosion and other concerns affecting the complex.
Families have complained that rainwater enters through structural joints and wastewater from upper-floor bathrooms and kitchens leaks into homes below. They say dampness, overflowing sanitation facilities and problems with drinking-water supply have made daily life difficult, particularly for children and elderly residents.
The two residential towers were developed by the Greater Cochin Development Authority as part of a rehabilitation project for families previously living in the flood-prone P&T Colony at Gandhi Nagar. Residents moved into the Mundamveli complex in January 2024, but complaints about leakage emerged within weeks.
The project, costing ₹14.62 crore, received funding through housing and urban development programmes including LIFE Mission, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Cochin Smart Mission. Questions about construction quality subsequently prompted demands for an independent examination of how the buildings were delivered.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau began a preliminary inquiry after the Home Department authorised scrutiny of alleged irregularities. A team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police P. Rajkumar inspected the premises in October with technical assistance from Public Works Department engineers.
Rajkumar indicated that specialists from relevant departments would assess the construction before further steps were determined. The inquiry is intended to establish whether suspected lapses warrant additional action; its initiation does not establish criminal misconduct by any contractor or official.
The protest committee has also questioned the impartiality of certain investigating officers, alleging political connections, and requested their replacement. Those accusations have not been independently established, and the residents’ objections are separate from the technical assessment of the buildings.
Local Self-Government Minister K. M. Shaji told the Legislative Assembly in October that the government was considering a special rehabilitation package. He also referred to the vigilance inquiry and action taken against the contractor over alleged failures to undertake repairs.
Kochi MLA Mohammed Shiyas has outlined possible alternatives, including relocation to another housing project, financial compensation or fresh rehabilitation. Residents have rejected relocation to the Thuruthy apartment towers, insisting that any permanent arrangement must provide secure housing and ownership rights.
(The article ‘Kochi apartment protesters threaten to block ministers’ appeared first on Free Press Journal.)
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