Kochi: Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden has stepped into the Chanderkunj army flats row, saying the residential buildings should be demolished and rebuilt since they are beyond repair.

The Congress MP, who visited the damaged structures at Silversand Island near Vyttila, said that he had brought the issue to the attention of the Defence Minister. However, despite realising the seriousness of the matter, the central government was protecting the culprits without taking any action against them.
The MP’s response comes when the apartment buildings are caught in a legal battle between a section of residents and the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO), which built the structures.

While the AWHO has come up with a plan to retrofit the buildings based on the study conducted by a private firm engaged by it, a section of flat owners have challenged the plan citing studies by experts including a government team. The Kerala High Court, considering the petition, has ordered the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) to conduct a scientific study on the condition of the buildings and submit a report.

Hibi said the AWHO, which is run by the Adjutant-General of the Indian Army, is morally responsible for the collapse of the flats and has asked the central government to take strict action against the organisation.

“Considering the condition that the flats cannot be made safe by reconstruction or repair works, the central government should immediately demolish them and build new ones and distribute them to the deserving people,” the MP said.

Hibi said massive corruption was behind the central government’s stance of looking the other way towards the sad plight of the soldiers who spent a large part of their lives serving the motherland. “The government should correct the mistake committed by the defence ministry, at least now,” he said in a statement.

The flats were handed over to serving or retired soldiers and their families in 2018.