The demolition of the illegally constructed villas of Kapico Resorts Pvt. Ltd on Nediyathuruthu island in Vembanad Lake is expected to begin in a week, District Collector V.R. Krishna Teja has said.
He was speaking after visiting the island on Monday.
“The resort people are going to submit a demolition plan to the grama panchayat secretary soon. The plan will be accorded approval after a review by the district administration and the panchayat. Our plan is to start demolition in a week. The demolition and transportation of waste, which will be carried out in an environmentally safe manner, will be completed in six months,” Mr. Teja said.
The villas will be demolished by the builder under the supervision of the Panavally grama panchayat secretary. “The resort people will deploy equipment and workers needed to demolish the structures. They will bear the entire cost of the operation. The work will be carried out under the direction of the panchayat secretary,” said an official.
Meanwhile, authorities on Monday reclaimed 2.93 hectares of puramboke land encroached upon by Kapico Resorts Pvt. Ltd on the island.
Kapico constructed 54 villas and a main block among other facilities over a period of six years from 2007. In March 2013, the High Court ordered the demolition of Kapico along with the illegal structures constructed by Vaamika Island (Green Lagoon Resort) on Vettila Thuruthu, also in Vembanad Lake. Kapico challenged the High Court verdict in the Supreme Court. The apex court on January 10, 2020, dismissed appeals by Kapico while observing that the constructions on the backwater island had violated coastal and environmental regulations.
Environmentalists have called to exercise utmost care while demolishing the structures and transportation of demolition waste as there is a possibility of debris, including hazardous waste, falling into the lake.
