The twin towers of Chander Kunj Army Towers at Vyttila in Kochi.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT

Ernakulam District Collector N.S.K. Umesh, who is also the chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, on Saturday (February 15, 2025) said that urgent steps will be taken for the evacuation, demolition and reconstruction of twin towers of the Chander Kunj Army Towers on Silversand Island, Vytilla, Kochi, Kerala, considering that it involves the lives of so many people.

He was speaking to the media after visiting the affected towers as the chairman of the committee constituted at the order of the Kerala High Court for the demolition and reconstruction of the B and C towers with 26 floors each. The order was in the wake of serious structural problems to the apartment complexes developed by the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO).

“For the time being, we have not fixed any timeline for completing the process. However, steps will be taken keeping in mind that it involves the lives and properties of the people. At least a meeting would be held every week since we need to take urgent decisions. The urgency of the matter was evident in the court order and also during this visit of the committee. Urgent measures will be taken but by allaying the concerns of the apartment owners,” Mr. Umesh said.

The Collector and the other members of the committee visited the towers to understand the geography of the place, the potential challenges in the demolition and reconstruction of the towers and to directly interact with the residents. The committee noticed a metro line passing close to the towers. Representatives of the Kochi Metro Rail Authority were also present.

A foundation pillar stripped of concrete, exposing the rusted reinforcing bars in the basement of the twin towers of Chander Kunj Army Towers at Vyttila in Kochi.
| Photo Credit:
THULASI KAKKAT

“We visited a few apartments and understood the issues their owners face. We also went down to the basement. The basement of B and C towers is next to the A tower. We also heard the apprehensions of the owners and the residents. The AWHO representative was also present,” said Mr. Umesh.

The Collector will hold a meeting with the AWHO managing director who will be in Kochi city next week. At that meeting, the concerns of the apartment owners will be discussed in detail. They have demanded more clarity to the proposed evacuation. Along with discussion on evacuation, steps will be taken simultaneously for the demolition in consultation with experienced structural engineer Anil Joseph, who had associated with the demolition of Maradu apartments and similar missions in Delhi.

Safe technology

Mr. Umesh said that technologies are available for the demolition of the twin towers without any safety threats to the adjacent A tower. Evacuation of the A tower would be needed only at the time of the demolition. Temporary arrangements would be made for shifting the sub station, pump house and so on alongside the towers to be demolished.

The Collector said that the apartment owners are set to hold a general body meeting during which they would decide on the legal course of action. Apartment owners under the Chander Kunj Army Tower Apartment Owners Association are planning to appeal against the High Court verdict. But the committee will start exploring all possible options for the evacuation, demolition and reconstruction without waiting for the outcome of that meeting, Mr. Umesh said.