SC declines Maradu flat owners’ plea seeking stay on demolition

The Supreme Court on Monday (September 30) refused to entertain a plea of flat owners seeking a stay on the demolition of four apartment complexes in Kochi’s Maradu Municipality.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and S Ravindra Bhat dismissed the plea which also challenged the legality of a panel that had recommended demolition of the apartment complexes.

Meanwhile, the eviction process is underway for the second day and more people are expected to vacate the flats today.

However, several flat owners have complained that many of the new apartments handed over to them by the government are not vacated. They also claimed that it is difficult to find new places to stay within two days.

Also read | Kerala’s Maradu residents call off strike, eviction process underway

Though the flat owners are now cooperating with the state government over their eviction process, they had also placed several demands before the authorities.

They demanded that the government must restore electricity in the Maradu flats, pay rent for their new flats and give them a ₹1 lakh advance for the new flats. Moreover, the owners had also demanded compensation for the market value of the flats and return the undivided property after demolition.

While the government has restored electricity and water in the Maradu flats till October 3, it has not agreed to pay the rent for their new flats.

The Supreme Court had on September 27 ordered that the flats must be demolished within 138 days, a timeline set by the Kerala government. It had also asked the government to pay ₹25 lakh interim compensation to each flat owner within four weeks.

(With inputs from PTI)

Also read | ₹25 lakh relief pittance for flats costing ₹1.5 crore, say Maradu residents