The P&T Apartment complex at Mundamveli in Kochi.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Families of P&T Apartment Complex at Mundamveli, who have been on an indefinite stir for the past 40 days protesting against the deplorable state of the twin towers, have categorically ruled out their rehabilitation to Thuruthy Towers as a viable option.A four-point proposal submitted by the Ernakulam district administration to the Local Self-Government department (LSGD) Principal Secretary for redressing the grievances of the affected families had suggested such a possibility. The 12-storey Thuruthy Towers, comprising 398 units in the Kalvathy division of the Kochi Corporation, were originally intended to rehabilitate the homeless from the erstwhile Thuruthy Colony.“We want to be rehabilitated in fresh structures with title deeds. We also demand compensation for the mental trauma and hardships endured by families since their rehabilitation in the P&T Apartment Complex in January 2024. Those responsible for corruption behind the faulty construction should also be arrested and punished,” said Abhilash P. Parameswaran, president of P&T Apartment Owners Association.The proposal submitted by District Collector G. Priyanka also recommended the model followed in rehabilitating residents of Konthuruthy river puramboke. The Kochi Corporation had compensated 126 families with ₹14 lakh each. Either the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) or the Kochi Corporation, or both agencies jointly, may decide on the rehabilitation after eliciting opinions from the affected families of P&T Apartment Complex. The twin towers may be repurposed for alternative usage, including as government offices. The district administration further proposed that the government convene a high-level emergency meeting of the agencies concerned to ensure safe, healthy and decent living conditions for families by finding permanent solutions to their problems and improving basic infrastructure.The GCDA, which constructed the towers, has submitted rectification measures for the faulty towers, as recommended by IIT Madras, to the State government for approval since the agency currently lacks an executive committee following the change of government. “The original recommendations were worth around ₹16 crore, which exceeded the cost of construction. After negotiations, it was brought down to around ₹6.50 crore, which was still on the higher side,” said GCDA sources. The towers were constructed at a cost of ₹15 crore, jointly funded under PMAY, Life Mission, and Cochin Smart Mission Limited.‘Faulty design’Former GCDA Chairperson K. Chandran Pillai attributed the problem to faulty design, which, he claimed, was approved by the LSGD. “The steel-based construction was not fit for our climate, ultimately leading to leakage. A competent authority should find a solution, while there is the even greater issue of identifying the source of funding,” he said.Earlier in August, the Kochi Corporation Council had decided to recommend a probe by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau into the alleged corruption behind the construction. The LSGD has already declared a Vigilance inquiry into the matter.“The Corporation had little to do with the apartment project except for setting up a tuition centre and a gym. Though there was a proposal to install a truss over the roof of the towers by the Corporation using the former MLA’s fund, it is now as good as dropped on account of the structural stability of the towers,” said Corporation secretary P.S. Shibu. Published - September 01, 2026 07:21 pm IST
