Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 30 (PTI) Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday ordered a Vigilance inquiry into alleged serious lapses in the construction of the Mundamveli apartment complex in Kochi built under the LIFE Mission scheme.
The apartments, constructed at a cost of around Rs 17 crore to rehabilitate 77 families from the P&T Colony, developed serious problems soon after residents moved in.
The septic tank reportedly overflowed, while water seeped through the walls, leaving residents struggling with a complex meant to provide them with safe and secure homes.
The inquiry will look into the alleged lapses on the part of officials of the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and the Thrissur District Labour Contract Cooperative Society, which carried out the construction, an official release said here.
Those named in the Vigilance inquiry include GCDA Superintending Engineer J B John, Executive Engineers Shaji and Davis, Assistant Executive Engineers Athira and Jayashree, and Society secretary Sindhu Subhash, it said.
The action comes against the backdrop of fresh concerns over the condition of the complex.
Earlier, Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan had said that the Mundamveli apartments may have to be demolished because of faulty construction.
Speaking at a programme, Satheesan had said the complex was in poor condition, with leaking toilets and wastewater reportedly seeping into the lower floors.
“If someone uses a toilet on the upper floor, it can be heard on the floor below. All the toilets are leaking,” he had said.
Satheesan said an assessment had found that the defects were so extensive that repairing the building would cost more than constructing a new one.
The LIFE Mission was a flagship housing programme of the previous LDF government aimed at providing homes to homeless families.
Residents of the P&T Colony, who had been living near the Perandoor Canal in Kadavanthra, were shifted to the Mundamveli complex by the GCDA in 2024.
The construction was entrusted to the Thrissur District Labour Contract Cooperative Society, while the GCDA engineering wing was responsible for overseeing the work.
Serious defects were reportedly noticed within days of residents moving into the apartments, raising questions over the quality of construction and supervision of the project. PTI TGB ROH
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