Maradu: compensation list ready

Only about 130 apartments have registered owners

The mystery over the unregistered owners of the set-to-be-demolished Maradu flats has deepened with official records with the Maradu municipality indicating that just about 130 apartments have registered owners.

The details of the registered apartment owners emerged when the Maradu municipality compiled the list from its dossiers for preparing the database of those eligible for the ₹25-lakh compensation ordered by the Supreme Court. While none of the 122 units in the Jain Coral Cove complex have been transferred to the owners, only 48 units of H2O, 58 of Alfa Serene and 28 of Golden Kayaloram have registered owners, as indicated in the municipal records.

The four apartment complexes of Alfa Serene, H2O Holy Faith, Golden Kayaloram, and Jain Coral Cove together had 343 housing units.

The ownership certificate would be the key document for the apartment owners to stake claim to the compensation ordered by the court. The builder will be construed as the owner of those apartments for which the ownership has not been changed. Individual apartment owners will have to approach the committee with relevant records for claiming the amount. The Maradu municipality would submit the list to the State government in a couple of days, sources said.

An alottee of an apartment can be called its owner only when the ownership of the apartment is fully changed to his/her name. Any alottee can be called an evictee only if he/she is in actual possession of the apartment and that he/she was caused to be evicted following the Supreme Court order, legal sources said.

The Hindu had earlier reported that the ownership of the majority of the apartments in the apartments remained in the name of the builders.

Demolition at ₹2 crore

Meanwhile, the demolition of the four Maradu apartments would be a lot less expensive affair than anticipated as the administration has shortlisted the agencies for the job. Edifice Engineering, Mumbai and Vijay Steels, Chennai, have been identified for the job. Though the two agencies had earlier submitted their prices for the mechanical and controlled implosion of the buildings, the administration had decided to go in for implosion as the manual mode requires more time. It will take anything from 45 to 90 days for completing the demolition, according to company officials.

It may require around ₹2 crore for the demolition and carting away of all salvageable and non-salvagable ones from the site. The civic body had earlier apprehended that it would require around ₹30 crore for razing the structures.

Expert to visit site

A mining expert, S B. Sawate, who has been roped in as the consultant for the job, is expected to visit the apartment complexes this week.

With local residents raising concerns about the impact of the demolition on their homes and other structures in the vicinity of the apartments, the administration is thinking of introducing a third-party insurance coverage for ₹100 crore. The insurance coverage would be in force in an area of around 100 metres from the illegal structures.

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