KOCHI: Kerala State Housing Board (KSHB) will reconstruct the flat built under Saphalyam housing scheme in Chottanikkara at a cost of Rs 2.27 crore. The flat became uninhabitable following serious structural problems that developed within four years of construction.
KSHB officials and panchayat authorities examined the flat before starting steps to reconstruct the new flat.
The three-storeyed flat for 24 families was constructed with gypsum panels during the 2015-2020 UDF local body tenure. It was found that various agencies, including KSHB and local body, failed to monitor the construction, and structural defects started to surface, forcing the last governing council to file a petition in the high court against the board and relocate the families to rented houses.
The local body met the rental amount with Rs 5000 per month per family. Following the direction of HC, principal secretary of the board convened a meeting and decided that KSHB will reconstruct the flat on 33 cents of land.
Raju Mattathil, panchayat president, said the housing board will prepare a detailed plan of the flat and construction will start after demolishing the existing one. “A KSHB engineer visited the flat the other day. The new building will be made of concrete to ensure the structure is strong. We plan to construct more flats for homeless families on the land,” he said.
The now defunct building was found to be constructed without any structures. It was found that the gypsum panels were placed and filled with soil instead of a concrete mixture and iron poles. When the soil got wet during the rainy season, the structure became weak, threatening the lives of residents.
