The demolition of the illegal Maradu flats is a perfect example of good governance. It points to the fact that if the government shows political will and is backed by competent officers, anything can be accomplished for the good of the people and the environment. The exemplary coordination among the district administration, the law enforcement officials, the fire-safety services and the private company that was in charge of the demolitions was on display as the flats were razed down. The locals also need to be praised for not creating any impediments in the implementation of the Supreme Court decision. It was a landmark day for Kerala and restored the people’s faith in the government. Hopefully, citizens and officials will henceforth desist from violating environmental norms (Front page, “Biting the dust,” Jan. 12).
Sujata Nair,
Thrissur, Kerala
Though it was a ‘wonderfully executed’ with almost zero damage to nearby structures and vegetation, it was painful that the 19-storey complex H2O Holy faith and twin towers of Alfa Serene were pulled down by controlled explosions at Maradu, near Kochi in compliance with a Supreme Court order. Owning a home, however small, is everyone’s dream and the act has shattered the dreams of the owners in the said complex. Did they construct the complex overnight on their own without anyone’s knowledge? Did the builders not know that the construction of the complex violated the prescribed Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms? Were they officials of the CRZ passing through the complex area with blind-folded eyes when the construction of not one but a couple of high-rise buildings was going on? Were the officials of other government machinery like the Registering Authority, the Kerala State Electricity Board, Water Supply and Drainage Board, and so on, not aware that the complex construction was in violation of the CRZ norms? It is not enough that meagre compensation was given to the erstwhile flat owners but the entire officials who cleared the complex construction and the politicians, if any, without whose connivance such a massive blunder/violation of norms could not have been done, should be brought to book and penalised by collecting from them due compensation and giving it to the affected owners of the flats.
A. Jainulabdeen,
Chennai
