After inviting the Supreme Court's wrath for not complying with its orders, the Kerala government has instructed authorities to snap the water and power supply to the four illegal apartment complexes in Kochi's Maradu region. The secretary of the Maradu municipal has been issued a notice to implement the decision to stop water and power supply within three days.
The government has already issued instructions to the Kerala Water Authority and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) in this regard. Oil and gas companies too, would be asked to end supply of LPG cylinders to the flats, reported Onmanorama.
The crucial decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday. The decision came soon after the Supreme Court came down heavily on the Kerala government for not ensuring swift action in the demolition issue. Expressing shock over a spate of unauthorised structures coming up at Kochi's Maradu, the apex court had observed that illegal construction in Kerala's coastal areas was a "colossal loss" to the environment
The top court asked the chief secretary to conduct a survey to gauge the extent of devastation caused to the nature. The top court said, "It appears that the authorities, rather than preventing the violations, are trying to mobilize the public opinion and time has come to hold them responsible for their active connivance in such activities of degrading the environment and violation of the coastal zone regulations."
A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and S. Ravindra Bhatt said it will pass a detailed order on September 27 on the issue and sought a concrete plan from the Kerala government on the removal of illegal structures.
It also asked the chief secretary to file a fresh affidavit. The conduct of the chief secretary is of defiance, it said and warned him that he stands in great difficulty. "What is happening there we know. We will fix responsibility on those responsible. This is a colossal loss to the coastal zone area. It's a high tide area and hundreds of illegal structures have come up in the coastal zone," the bench said.
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On May 8, the apex court had directed that these buildings be removed within a month as they were constructed in a notified CRZ, which was part of the tidally-influenced water body in Kerala. The top court had in July dismissed a plea filed by the realtors, seeking a review of its May 8 order.
The court had passed the order after taking note of a report of a three-member committee, which said when the buildings were built, the area was already notified as a CRZ and construction was prohibited.
Earlier, the court had rejected a plea filed by the residents of the area against the demolition order and taken a strong exception to an order passed by a vacation bench during the summer break of the apex court, which had stayed the demolition of these buildings for six weeks.
(With PTI inputs)
