Kochi: Kundannoor and Nettoor, two otherwise silent suburbs of Kochi in Kerala, wear an anxious look on Saturday morning as two of the four illegally-built flat complexes are set to be razed.
People living in a radius of 200 metres from Holyfaith H2O at Kundannoor and Alfa Serene twin towers at Nettoor were evacuated around 9 am. People have moved their valuables to safer places and several houses have been covered with plastic sheets to protect them from dust.
Local people as well as those from distant areas are rushing to find a prime spot to watch the demolition. Media houses have deployed several teams of correspondents and lensmen and several of them have already identified prime spots to get the perfect clicks and footage.
Officials were careful to put up a face of confidence. Sub-collector Snehil Kumar, in charge of the demolition, told TV channels that everything will be done as planned.
Utkarsh Mehta of Edifice Engineering said the company was fully confident of the demolition of H2O. He along with other officials attended a puja in front of the flat.
The Supreme Court had ordered on May 8, 2019 the demolition of four complexes for violating the coastal regulation zone rules.
Hundreds of people had gathered to watch the demolition. They stood outside an exclusion zone of 200 metre radius set by the authorities. Section 144 is in place in the area from 8 am on Saturday.
