New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the review pleas of flat owners seeking appropriate relief from the builders of high-rise properties set to be demolished at coastal Maradu area in Kerala's Ernakulam district over violation of green norms.
On Friday, a bench of the top court, headed by Justice Arun Mishra, agreed to hear in the open court the petitions filed by a few owners.
The court had earlier asked the builders of the flats, which would be razed, to deposit Rs 20 crore within a month with the court-appointed committee for disbursing compensation. The apex court also directed the bank accounts of the builders which were attached earlier be unblocked so that Rs 20 crore could be deposited with the panel for release among the 350 flat owners.
The counsel appearing for the Kerala government, meanwhile, submitted a status report and said the state had partially complied with the earlier apex court order of demolition of the Maradu flats over violation of Coastal Regulation Zone norms.
In compliance of the top court's earlier order, the state government has paid 27.99 crore as interim compensation to the Maradu flat owners and it will be paying Rs 33.51 crore more to them, the counsel said on Friday.
The court then asked the state government to ensure full compliance of apex court's earlier order, including the demolition of the Maradu flats.
On September 30, the apex court had dismissed the flat owners' plea seeking stay on its demolition order of the four apartment complexes in Maradu. The court ordered demolition within 138 days and asked the state to pay Rs 25 lakh interim compensation to each flat owner within four weeks.
Last month, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had rejected the plea of builders' association Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), which urged the court to reconsider its order on the Maradu flats. The association had recommended putting the flats to some other use instead of demolition.
"We are not going back from our demolition order. Our order is final and this matter cannot be agitated afresh," the court said.
"An order is an order, and it has to be complied," the court said citing the instances of hundreds of deaths caused by floods. "People are dying in floods and due to other natural calamities. Who is responsible? Builders or authorities, who let this (illegal construction) happen. Therefore, we must fix the responsibility," said the court.
This observation was made in the context of illegal construction being in the coastal area, which is more vulnerable to the impact of environmental calamities than other areas.
(With PTI and IANS inputs)
