The Yashoram Infra Developers Private Limited has informed the Kerala High Court that the implementation of the proposed sky city project would not cause any damage to coastal ecosystems or the backwater system in the city.
In an affidavit, the company said that no reclamation of backwaters or wetland was needed. The affidavit said that there was no violation of Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2000. Sky city project envisaged construction of two flyovers over the Chilavanoor backwaters. The first flyover would commence from Kundanoor and culminate on the Sahodaran Ayappan Road. The second flyover would start from Sahodaran Ayyappan Road and end at the Subhash Chandra Bose Road. The flyover would have a length of approximately 4 kms and not 7 kms as alleged by the petitioners. The buildings would have only three floors with a covered roof. The total number of pillars would be 400 and it would take only 40 forty cents of property in the backwaters. Such type of pillars was built for bridges throughout the world.
The affidavit was filed in response to a public interest litigation filed by the Indian Institute of Architects and Prof. M. K. Prasad against the government sanction given for Sky city project.
The affidavit also pointed out that there were no mangroves in the project area. No land needs to be acquired. Nor any toll would be collected from the users of the bridges.
Besides, it did not need any finance from the government. When the project was implemented, the Sahodaran Ayyappan Road from Pallimukku up to Vyttila Junction could be avoided by persons travelling to Alappuzha side and Kozhikode from Kochi. According to the study conducted by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac), there would be a significant reduction in traffic in the city once the project was in place.
The contention that the areas came within the category of CRZ-I Zone was incorrect. No such classification had been done by the authorities as contemplated under law. The existing Coastal Zone Management Plan of Kerala did not categorize the backwater area as CRZ-I. Likewise, the averment of the petitioners that Sky city project would be built above Elamkulam wetland on a 7 kms long 45 meters concrete platform supported by 4,000 to 7,000 pillars is incorrect. The total number of pillars would be 400.
