P&T Apartment Residents Reject Thuruthy Towers Rehabilitation Plan

Families residing in the P&T Apartment Complex at Mundamveli have firmly rejected a proposal to be rehabilitated in Thuruthy Towers. The residents have been holding an indefinite protest for the past 40 days over the deteriorating condition of the twin towers.

The proposal was part of a four-point plan submitted by the Ernakulam district administration to the Local Self-Government department (LSGD) Principal Secretary. Thuruthy Towers, a 12-storey building with 398 units in Kochi's Kalvathy division, was originally built to house families from the former Thuruthy Colony.

Abhilash P. Parameswaran, president of the P&T Apartment Owners Association, stated that residents want to be relocated to newly constructed buildings with clear title deeds. He also demanded compensation for the mental trauma and hardships faced since moving into the complex in January 2024, and called for the arrest and punishment of those responsible for corruption in the faulty construction.

The district administration's proposal, submitted by District Collector G. Priyanka, also suggested following the model used for rehabilitating residents of Konthuruthy river puramboke, where the Kochi Corporation compensated 126 families with ₹14 lakh each. The plan indicated that either the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) or the Kochi Corporation, or both jointly, could decide on rehabilitation after consulting the affected families. It also suggested repurposing the twin towers for alternative uses, such as government offices, and called for a high-level emergency meeting to find permanent solutions.

The GCDA, which built the towers, has submitted rectification measures recommended by IIT Madras to the state government for approval. Sources said the original repair cost was around ₹16 crore, which was reduced to ₹6.50 crore after negotiations. The towers were constructed at a cost of ₹15 crore with joint funding from PMAY, Life Mission, and Cochin Smart Mission Limited.

Former GCDA Chairperson K. Chandran Pillai attributed the problems to a faulty design approved by the LSGD, noting that the steel-based construction was unsuitable for the local climate and led to leakage. He stressed the need for a competent authority to find a solution and address the issue of funding.

The Kochi Corporation Council had earlier recommended a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau probe into the construction, and the LSGD has already declared a Vigilance inquiry. Corporation secretary P.S. Shibu clarified that the Corporation's involvement was limited to setting up a tuition centre and a gym, and that a proposal to install a truss over the roof using the former MLA's fund has been dropped due to concerns over the towers' structural stability.