Mundamveli residents assured of stop-gap solution to arrest leakage before monsoon; permanent structural solutions may delay further

Fibre plastering will be undertaken at a cost of ₹28 lakh on the exterior of the P&T twin apartment towers at Mundamveli as an interim measure to arrest leakage before the onset of the monsoon, whereas permanent solutions, including structural rectifications, are expected to take longer, with a tentative timeline set for the end of this year for select works.

The decision was taken at a meeting convened by the District Collector to address long-pending complaints of 78 apartment owners. Reportedly, Life Mission has agreed to bear the cost, following the participation of its Chief Executive Officer in the meeting through video link. Almost all apartments began leaking during the very first spell of showers after residents moved into the twin blocks – comprising 44 and 42 units – in January 2024. Internal leakage from bathrooms was also reported shortly thereafter making matters worse.

Though an expert committee led by a professor from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has submitted a condition assessment and repair strategy report, neither the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), which commissioned the towers, nor the P&T Apartment Owners Association was impressed. The association openly voiced its discontent at the meeting.

“The report is not conclusive as it provides multiple solutions for the identified issues, leaving us to choose the most appropriate one. Our chief engineer is holding further consultations with IIT Madras authorities to fine-tune the report. In the meantime, we are looking at implementing workable solutions suggested in the report by December,” GCDA sources said.

Dismisses findings

The association has sought more time to study the report though its president, Abhilash P. Parameswaran, dismissed the findings as “playing safe” to absolve both GCDA and IIT Madras, which was appointed as consultants last year to provide long-term solutions to the structural problems. “None of the authorities are now mentioning about the 25-year structural guarantee for the buildings post structural reforms as was assured initially,” he alleged.

The meeting also decided to resume works funded by local MLA K.J. Maxy’s development funds, which had been suspended following the notification of local body polls. Apartment owners had staged a march to the contractor’s residence last December, protesting the delay in restarting works such as drainage, compound wall construction, overhead roofing, landscaping, and earth-filling, even after the lifting of the Model Code of Conduct.

Another meeting is expected to be held in a fortnight to review progress and finalise the next steps.