77 apartment owners in Chander Kunj Army Towers opt for buy-back

Seventy-seven Chander Kunj Army tower owners opt for buy-back option amid demolition and reconstruction proceedings.

Seventy-seven out of the 208 apartment owners of the Chander Kunj Army towers have gone for buy-back option rather than awaiting the demolition and reconstruction of the towers.

The decision was conveyed at a meeting of the district committee, chaired by the Collector, to oversee the proposed demolition and reconstruction of the towers at the instance of the Kerala High Court. It will be included in the Collector’s affidavit to be submitted before the court, which has posted the case for May 21.

During the last hearing on the review petition by apartment owners against the order for the demolition and reconstruction of the twin towers earlier this month, the High Court had directed the residents’ association to inform the committee about the number of owners opting for the buy-back option within a week. “It has been noted that some allottees favour the buy-back option rather than awaiting the demolition and reconstruction process,” the court observed.

The meeting has drawn up a tentative schedule for shifting the residents by June 30 and completing the demolition in the four months since then. Among other things, the meeting also discussed concerns raised by the apartment owners about the ambiguity regarding the compensation for the amount that they had spent on interiors, shifting charges, and the monthly rent for the duration of the demolition and reconstruction. The court is likely to take up the issue of rent during the next hearing.

During the last hearing, the court had directed the Collector to convene a meeting within two weeks to finalise a timeline for demolition and reconstruction. “A clear picture shall be provided for the proposed course of action detailing the various phases and a breakdown of the estimated costs calculated for both reconstruction and demolition. The committee shall also inform the AWHO [Army Welfare Housing Organisation] about the amount required for the first phase within a week of taking that decision, and the AWHO shall duly pay it.”

Sajie Shankar, president of the Chander Kunj Welfare and Maintenance Society, said the decisions of the committee would be discussed among the apartment owners. “The decision to move out of the apartments will depend on the court’s ruling on the rent. Less than 20 of the apartment owners have also approached the Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority [K-RERA] over the breach of promise regarding facilities, the delayed delivery of the apartments, compensation for the money spent on interiors,” he said.

An earlier affidavit submitted before the High Court by the Collector had also referred to the flat owners’ demand that the rate of rent specified in the court order (between ₹21,000 and ₹23,000) may be revised on the grounds that it was much less than the prevalent market rates. A team comprising the secretary, Thripunithura municipality; executive engineer, PWD (Buildings); and the Kanayannur tahsildar, appointed by the committee, following an enquiry in the surrounding areas, found that 3-BHK apartments entailed rent ranging from ₹35,000 to ₹38,000, plus an additional service charge.