Residents of the P&T Colony apartments at Mundamveli in Kochi marked the 100th day of their protest on Saturday, October 31, with a day-long hunger strike, demanding immediate rehabilitation and action on the structural safety of their homes. The P&T Apartment Protest Committee, which says it represents 78 families, has warned it will step up the agitation, including blocking ministers from entering the Kochi Assembly constituency.

Source: Mirror Now

Protest committee president Abhilash P. Parameswaran said the massive overhead concrete water tanks at the complex are particularly vulnerable and pose a risk to the families living below, and residents say the buildings are deteriorating. The committee said it had moved its hunger strike from Thoppumpady to the front of the apartment complex itself so officials travelling to local events could not miss it.

Source: Mirror Now

100 daysLength of the residents' protest
78 familiesRepresented by the protest committee, it says
Rs 14.62 croreCost of the GCDA apartment project

A rehabilitation project under a vigilance cloud

The complex of two four-storey towers was built by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) at a cost of more than Rs 14.62 crore to house 77 families relocated from the flood-prone P&T Colony in the Gandhi Nagar division of Kochi Corporation. It was financed jointly through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the state's LIFE Mission and Cochin Smart Mission Limited.

Source: Mirror Now

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has opened a preliminary inquiry into alleged corruption around the project; a team led by DySP P. Rajkumar visited the site on October 5. The allegations are unproven and the inquiry is at a preliminary stage. Separately, Kochi Corporation has dropped a bid by the Thrissur District Labour Contract Cooperative Society (TDLC), which built the complex, for another project, amid the controversy; more than Rs 1 crore was withheld from TDLC's bills and revenue recovery proceedings were initiated for Rs 4.35 crore, The Hindu reported.

Source: The Hindu

Residents said they had hoped Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan would visit them during a scheduled appearance at a nearby seawall construction project in Chellanam, but the visit did not take place. In September, a CPI delegation led by district secretary N. Arun visited the protest site and demanded an immediate rehabilitation package and a comprehensive probe into the alleged structural defects, saying the families were living in deplorable conditions.

Source: News Darpan

The residents say the agitation will continue and intensify until the government gives them a written assurance on rehabilitation. The GCDA and the state government have not announced a rehabilitation package in response to the 100-day milestone.

Source: Mirror Now