Leaky flats of Kerala CM-inaugurated complex: Kochi residents boycott parties, to field own candidate

Kochi: Citing nearly two years of unaddressed structural damage and civic neglect, 77 families of the P&T Apartment Complex in Kochi’s Mundamveli have announced that they will boycott all major political fronts in the Kochi Corporation elections and field their own candidate in the Mundamveli East division. 

Abhilash P Parameswaran, president of the P&T Apartment Residents Association, will file his nomination as an independent candidate on Thursday, marking a rare protest move by a housing community that has been battling severe leaks and structural issues in the very building inaugurated in 2024 by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as their new home. The 77 families were relocated from the pathetic and unhygienic conditions in flood-prone P&T Colony in the Gandhi Nagar division that year, only to find themselves confronting fresh hardships in the rehabilitated complex.

“We have been relocated to the building after decades of neglect. The construction, which started in 2017, was completed only in January 2024. But we were finally happy to have a new home. But by February, during the first rains, we found leaks in the roofs and walls. Initially, it leaked only during rain, but now, whenever someone uses the bathroom on the upper floors, water leaks through the roof and walls to the lower floors. We have raised this issue multiple times to all parties, but no solution has been found yet. We have not received any support from our councillor. So we decided to boycott the election and field our own candidate,” said Saritha Madhavan, the secretary of the association.

 In the previous council, Mundamveli, the 22nd division in Kochi Corporation, was represented by Mary Calista Prakashan. After delimitation, the division was split into Mundamveli (68) and Mundamveli East 69). Now, Mary and her husband, KJ Prakashan, are now contesting as LDF candidates in the divisions respectively.

Saritha said that there are over 300 voters in the twin blocks of the building and they decided to give a good fight in the election to mark their protests. “We aim to voice our grievances on the right platforms through our own candidate,” she said.

Following multiple complaints about the structural defects, truss work was sanctioned by the district administration to avoid the leaks during rains. The works will be executed by the Kochi Corporation using Kochi MLA KJ Maxy’s development funds. But for that, a building stability certificate is necessary.

The Greater Cochin Development (GCDA) which oversaw the construction of the building by Thrissur District Labour Contract Co-operative Society (TDLCC), signed an agreement with IIT Madras in June to study the issues and grant a building stability certificate. 

“IIT Madras was supposed to complete the study in four months. A regional review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister in July decided that renovation of the apartments would begin once the IIT report was submitted in September. However, we are yet to receive any updates despite multiple queries,” Abhilash said.

Abhilash, a social worker, said his candidature is not just for helping the building's residents but also for those living in slum-like conditions around it. “Hundreds of families are residing in Shantham Colony and they do not have proper drainage for the septic waste. The area faces severe waterlogging and waste management issues, but the councillor is not doing anything. We want that to change,” Abhilash said. 

Meanwhile, Prakashan, the LDF candidate, denied the allegations. “The councillor has been very supportive of all the residents. The structural issues will be cleared soon,” he said.