The demolition of the illegally constructed villas and other structures of Kapico Resorts Pvt. Ltd. on Nediyathuruthu island on Vembanad Lake has almost been completed.
Officials on Monday said that all 54 villas and most of the main block had been razed to the ground. “All the structures and towers have been knocked down. Only the substructure including the foundation of the central building and debris remain at the site. The substructure of the central building is installed up to 50 metres into the ground. Demolition of it will take time,” said a top Alappuzha district administration official.
Last month, the Supreme Court directed the authorities to complete the demolition of the resort before March 28, 2023. The apex court had threatened to initiate contempt proceedings against the Chief Secretary if the government failed to comply with the deadline.
The court on Monday dropped contempt proceedings in the case after the State government filed an affidavit on the progress made in the demolition of the resort. “The apex court has given one more month to complete the removal of debris from the site,” the official added.
Officials said the transportation of debris was being carried out in an environmentally safe manner and the Pollution Control Board was checking air and water quality at regular intervals.
The demolition began on September 15, 2022, 32 months after the Supreme Court ordered the razing of the high-end resort, citing that the constructions on the backwater island at Panavally grama panchayat in Alappuzha violated coastal and environmental regulations. Days before the demolition began, the State government reclaimed 2.93 hectares of poramboke land encroached upon by Kapico on the island.
The demolition of the resort is a major victory for the fishing community and a message against constructing structures violating the Coastal Regulation Zone Act and other norms. It was in 2007 that the 11.5-acre island was bought by Kapico. It soon began work on the multi-crore sprawling resort. The project, however, changed the life of fisher families in the area after 13 licensed stake nets got removed for building villas.
The legal battle began after a fisherman moved the Cherthala Munsiff Court in 2008 against the resort. The legal proceedings soon reached the Kerala High Court. The High Court ordered the demolition of the structures in 2013. Though Kapico challenged the verdict in the apex court, it dismissed the appeals on January 10, 2020.
