Kerala: Power, water supply lines to Maradu apartments snapped

Kochi: Power and water supply lines were disconnected on Thursday at the four apartment complexes in Maradu, which the Supreme Court has ordered to be demolished for violating coastal norms.

Amid heavy police presence, the power supply was disconnected around 5 am, while the water supply was stopped a few hours later, said residents of the apartments, who protested calling it to be human rights violation. Fort Kochi Sub-Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, who has been given additional charge as secretary of Maradu Municipality to carry out the demolition, said on Wednesday the directions given by the government, including disconnection of power and water supply to the apartments, would be implemented soon.

The action comes days after the Kerala government was pulled up by the Supreme Court for not complying with its order to raze the buildings. The government held a meeting on Tuesday and decided to write to the Kerala State Electricity Board and Kerala Water Authority to disconnect power and water supply to the apartments with immediate effect. Residents of the complexes said they would not leave their flats and would intensify their agitation against the "human rights violations".

"Officials are taking steps to throw us out on the streets. We are not the culprits. We will not leave our homes. We will stay here," a representative of the flat owners had said on Wednesday.