Mundamveli residents lay day-long siege to GCDA headquarters

After living a hard life for over two years due to constant leakage in their flats, residents of P&T Apartment Complex in Mundamveli laid siege to the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) headquarters in Kadavanthra for a day on Tuesday (May 26), raising fresh concerns over alleged violation of mandatory distance norms separating the 110 kV extra high voltage (EHT) line passing through their neighborhood from the twin towers.

A group of around 80 residents, including women and children, protested outside the GCDA office and shouted slogans against endangering their lives and property by building apartments that allegedly ignored provisions regarding EHT power lines. More than 400 people from 78 families in the old P&T Colony in the city had shifted to the twin towers built by GCDA in January 2024. The protest was finally called off after Kochi MLA Mohammed Shiyas visited them and promised to petition Chief Minister VD Satheesan, demanding a Vigilance probe into the alleged corruption behind the apartment construction.

Residents had raised the issue of leakage for a long time until the Alappuzha transmission division of the Kerala State Electricity Board confirmed their suspicions that the distance limit to the EHT line was being violated. “According to the inspection report, the vertical clearance of the towers from the EHT line was 2.50 meters as against the required 2.90 metres. In fact, there should have been one meter more clearance, taking into account potential line sway under windy conditions.

We have been having constant electrical problems since we moved, we complained to GCDA but they did nothing. The corruption behind this blatant violation has endangered our lives and properties,” said Abhilash P. Parameswaran, president of P&T Apartment Owners Association.

However, GCDA sources maintained that the flats were built after obtaining all relevant permissions from the Electrical Inspectorate and that the GCDA could do little about the new claims regarding the EHT line. He added that measures to plug the leak were delayed due to resistance from residents who demanded a 25-year warranty for repair work.

Mr. Shiyas said the flats should be inspected to ensure their suitability for habitation, in which case measures should be taken on a time-bound basis to seal the leakage and provide other facilities such as septic tank and sewage treatment plant.

He said that if the structures are not suitable, necessary steps will be taken for their proper rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, residents are planning to move out of the flats, citing security concerns during the monsoon season. They expressed concern about spending more money on renovations before assuaging fears about the suitability of the flats.