Demolition of Maradu flats in Kochi to begin today

All arrangements have been made for the two-day demolition of Maradu flats in Kochi that will begin from today at 11 am.

A mock drill was carried out successfully on Friday to ensure the safety of citizens ahead of the demolition of four multi-storey flats at Maradu here.

"Everything was enacted except for the pressing of the button, which will trigger the collapse. Everything is ready and Section 144 of the CrPC will be enforced on Saturday on land, air and water," said Inspector General (IG) Vijay Sakhare.

The mock drill was held after a primary evaluation of safety measures taken by police.

Ahead of the demolition of four apartments - Holy Faith H2O, twin towers of Alfa Serene, Jain Coral Cove, and Golden Kayaloram - in Maradu through controlled explosion on January 11-12, the district administration issued an advisory and restricted drones in the evacuation zone with immediate effect.

As per the advisory, Section 144, which prohibits an assembly of four or more people in an area, has been imposed in the evacuation zone of all the flats to be demolished from 8 am to 4 pm.

House to house search was carried out for ensuring 100 per cent evacuation of people residing in the zone. People may witness the implosion from any place outside the evacuation zone.

"The residents in the evacuation zone should switch off the electricity and all the appliances before leaving their homes. They are advised to close all windows and doors to protect their homes from dust. All traffic - air-borne, water-borne, land-based is prohibited in the evacuation zone. Since all buildings have been charged with explosives, nobody shall fly drones in the evacuation zone from immediate effect. Any violation is extremely dangerous and shall attract legal action," the advisory stated.

Moreover, traffic diversions shall be regulated, based on the warning siren sequence and people may return to their homes once police remove barricades from the roads leading to the evacuation zone.

This comes after the residents of Maradu municipality, whose houses are located within a radius of 200 metres from the towers which are proposed to be demolished on January 11- 12 by the order of the Supreme Court, filed a case in Kerala High Court on Tuesday.

The petitioners requested the Kerala HC to direct the respondents to immediately assess the present market value of the houses and other structures in the 200-meter area before the demolition.