The Kerala cabinet has decided to launch criminal proceedings against builders of the cluster of flats at Maradu in Kochi that has been ordered to be brought down by the Supreme Court for CRZ violations.
The State government would also recover from them costs required to compensate the flat owners and would undertake their rehabilitation.
Chief Secretary Tom Jose reported to the Cabinet the status in the protracted case, which was the main agenda of the meeting on Wednesday in the light of the severe court strictures against the State government.
Jose gave a detailed update on what had transpired during the proceedings at the Supreme Court and also presented a plan for demolition of the five flats.
There was no option other than obey the Court order, the Chief Secretary told the Cabinet meeting.
The maximum possible care will be taken to spare the environment of further damage while demolishing the flats.
The Cabinet as a whole expressed the view that no further time should be lost in executing the court order. The government had sympathised with the cause of the flat owners but it too had no option now.
It had, on Tuesday, ordered that electricity and water connections to the flats may be cut and issued directions in this regard to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the Kerala Water Authority.
Public sector oil marketing companies were told to sever the domestic gas connections, in what is considered a series steps before initiating action to bring down the towering structures.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had observed that the State government had suddenly developed cold feet over plans to implement its order even after it had served repeated warnings.
On its part, the State had argued that it had submitted a detailed plan of action in an affidavit submitted to the court, which had chosen not to consider it.
The State government has been directed to come back with a final plan of action with respect to demolition of the flats and also explaining how violators of CRZ norms at Maradu would be brought to book.