Compensation in tune with the current market rate will be provided to homes and other properties of Maradu residents through insurance coverage to meet any damages caused by the demolition of illegal apartments.
Besides the loss or damage to property, the life of the residents will also be covered by the ₹125-crore insurance scheme for a period of one year from the date of demolition. All that one needs to prove is that the damage was caused by the impact of demolition, municipal authorities said. It was at a meeting of the residents of Maradu with demolition experts and the insurance company that the preliminary understanding regarding the insurance coverage was reached.
There would not be any distance limitation for insurance coverage. Health issues that might arise because of the the impact of the demolition would also be covered by the insurance scheme. Any damage of value less than ₹2.5 lakh would be rectified by the companies that are involved in the demolition job. Individual applicants need not process the applications for claims and the job would be carried out by the companies, it was clarified.
No demolition would be permitted before finalising the insurance scheme and the terms and conditions of the scheme would be made available to the residents, Snehil Kumar Singh, Fort Kochi Sub Collector in charge of the demolition, told the residents.
When several residents complained that the walls of their houses had developed cracks due to the impact of pre-demolition works, S.B. Sarwate, the demolition expert, dismissed them as natural cracks that would develop in homes. He assured the residents that their homes would not be damaged and the debris would land only inside the building and to some extent in the nearby waterbody.
The civic administration assured the residents that a team consisting of structural engineers and other experts would soon attend to individual complaints of damages and rectify them.
Valuation
The valuation of homes and other establishments located at a distance of 50 metres from the Maradu apartments will begin shortly as part of a security drive. All movable and immovable properties in houses and other establishments will be listed and their value assessed by a joint team of experts. Engineers of the civic body, residents and officials of the public sector insurance will be there in the team.
The civic authorities said the safety of the residents would be of prime concern and no demolition would be permitted without putting in place adequate insurance coverage and safety measures. The municipal authorities sought a few more days for finalising the terms and conditions of the insurance agreement as the scheme for the safety of the buildings in the wake of controlled implosion was being tried for the first time in the country.
