‘Nobody can live there’: Satheesan says Mundamveli LIFE Mission flats may be demolished

Kochi: The Mundamveli apartment complex, built under the previous LDF government’s LIFE Mission scheme, may have to be demolished due to serious construction defects, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Saturday.

The LIFE Mission was a flagship housing programme of the previous government aimed at providing homes to homeless families.

Residents of the P&T Colony, who had been living near the Perandoor Canal in Kadavanthra, were relocated to the Mundamveli complex by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) in 2024.

Speaking at a programme in Kochi, Satheesan said the condition of the apartment complex was poor, with leaking toilets and wastewater reportedly seeping into lower floors.

“If someone uses a toilet on the upper floor, it can be heard on the floor below. All the toilets are leaking,” he said.

Satheesan said an assessment had found defects throughout the building and that the cost of repairing it would be higher than constructing a new structure.

“Crores of rupees are spent on construction, but the entire building is leaking. A multi-storey building was constructed under a government contract as part of the LIFE Mission, but the situation is such that nobody can live there. Who is accountable?” he asked.

He stressed the need to maintain proper construction and quality standards in all government projects, whether they involve bridges, buildings or other infrastructure.

Residents have reportedly been raising concerns about the quality of construction at the complex for some time. Their complaints include leaking ceilings, falling plaster and wastewater seepage, despite the relocation being intended to provide them with better living conditions.

(PTI)