National security concerns over Kochi's ₹80 cr housing project; beneficiaries await clearance

Beneficiaries of a twin-tower housing project in Kochi can't move into their homes until they are declared not a threat to national security. Nearly 400 residents of the housing project at Thuruthy in Fort Kochi have been asked to undergo security verification because of the apartment's proximity to strategic locations.

Nearly a year after the twin-tower housing complex was inaugurated, the Kochi Corporation submitted the list of 394 prospective beneficiaries to the Kerala Police for mandatory security verification, bringing the long-delayed rehabilitation project a step closer to completion.

Sources with the corporation said the verification was ordered by the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) reportedly based on directions from the central government and central intelligence and security agencies. It is the final major administrative step before the apartments can be handed over.

Sources said the additional scrutiny became necessary because the ₹85.75-crore project is located close to some of Kochi’s most strategically sensitive installations. With construction now complete and utilities fully operational, civic authorities are hopeful that the long wait for the displaced families may finally end soon. While no official date has been announced, local councillors are quietly hoping the handover can take place around November 1, Kerala Piravi Day.

Why security clearance
What would ordinarily have been a routine housing allotment evolved into an unprecedented security exercise because of the twin towers’ height and location.

The high-rise complex overlooks several strategic facilities, including the Southern Naval Command’s INS Dronacharya, Cochin Port, the LNG Terminal, and the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal. Consequently, central intelligence agencies reportedly insisted that beneficiary selection be accompanied by stringent security protocols before occupancy could be permitted.

The police will now have to conduct background verification of every prospective beneficiary. However, the criteria for getting the clearance are unclear.

It is also learnt that the building will also be equipped with an integrated surveillance system, with CCTV cameras linked to police monitoring units and regular beat patrols to ensure continuous monitoring.

Once the police verification is completed, the beneficiary list will be placed before the Kochi Corporation Council for final approval, clearing the way for residents to finally occupy the flats.

Kochi Corporation Secretary PS Shibu said the project itself is fully complete and only the mandatory security procedures remain.

“All other physical works, including the RO water purification plant, the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), and all basic infrastructure, are complete. The list of beneficiaries has now been handed over to the police for verification as instructed. Once we receive their report, we will place it before the council for final approval so the handover can take place,” he said.

Mayor VK Minimol also said the beneficiary list, approved by the District Collector, has already been forwarded to the police.

A decade-long project
The twin towers, built over nearly a decade through funding from the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) and Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML), comprise 394 apartments.

The RAY-funded tower, built at a cost of ₹41.74 crore, has 199 housing units across 12 floors (11 storeys), with each apartment measuring 300 sq. ft.

The CSML-funded tower, costing ₹44.01 crore, comprises 195 apartments across 13 floors, each measuring 320 sq. ft.

Families hopeful
For the displaced families from Thuruthy, Kalvathy and Kochangadi colonies, the prolonged delay has meant continuing to live in rented accommodation despite watching their new homes stand ready for months.

When Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the towers late last year just days before the local body polls, many expected to move in shortly afterwards. Instead, the project remained in limbo as the works were pending and concerns about security clearances became an issue, leaving families to wait for possession of their new homes.

Zeenath VH (60), one of the beneficiaries who is staying at a rented house at Athikari Valappu, said her family is eagerly waiting to move to their home.

“We have been waiting with high hopes since the inauguration. Moving from place to place on rent with family has been extremely difficult, especially after my husband passed away. We don’t need luxury; we just want a place of our own so we don’t have to keep wandering around with our belongings. We hope that we will finally get our home soon,” she said.