The Chander Kunj Army Towers at Vyttila in Kochi
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Families residing at the soon-to-be-demolished Chander Kunj Army Towers at Vyttila in Kochi, Kerala, have begun vacating their apartments after the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) credited six months’ advance rent to an escrow account, as directed by the Kerala High Court.
Originally, the apartment owners were supposed to vacate by August 31, which was postponed after AWHO failed to pay the advance rent. District Collector G. Priyanka had directed a financial officer to disburse the amount to individual bank accounts of the apartment owners.
AWHO has credited ₹2.97 crore at the rate of ₹30,000 per month to those who own apartments in the B tower, and ₹35,000 per month to those in the C tower. As of now, 152 apartment owners — 74 in the B tower and 78 in the C tower — are eligible for the monthly rent, though a total of 208 apartments across the two towers are set to be demolished.
“We are hopeful that more owners will be eligible for the rent once the matter is clarified in the High Court,” said Chander Kunj Army Apartments Owners Association sources.
In an interim order on a writ appeal filed by the association and a few owners against the February 3 verdict of a Single Bench of the Kerala High Court — which had ordered the demolition and reconstruction of the twin towers on grounds of serious structural problems — and several related review petitions, a Division Bench had directed the AWHO to deposit six months’ rent by opening an escrow account in the name of either the District Collector or a person nominated by him by September 3.
However, the interim order had said the determination/fixation of rent for all owners shall be subject to the outcome of the writ petition, based on the petitioner’s argument that the judgment under challenge had not accounted for periodic increases in rent for the premises.
In a meeting of the district committee, chaired by the District Collector, constituted to oversee the evacuation, demolition, and reconstruction of the towers — held shortly after the interim order — the Collector had asked the apartment owners to vacate within a week of receiving the rent amount, citing safety issues.
“The District Collector directed that the tender procedures for the demolition and PMC (Project Management Consultant) should be initiated immediately, that AWHO and RWA (Resident Welfare Association) must be informed about the companies involved, and that authorized agencies should be included for further procedures,” the minutes of the meeting read.
The Collector said the towers would be handed over to the Kanayannur tahsildar after evacuation.
AWHO was also reminded of its responsibility to submit the applications to the departments concerned for approvals required for the construction of the new towers. AWHO was also directed to pay ₹30,000 to every evacuating family towards relocation.
Published – September 17, 2025 10:00 am IST
