An Infrastructure project and its potential impact

     

Sustainable urban infrastructure expands on the concept of urban infrastructure by adding the sustainability element with the expectation of improved and more sustained urban development. In the construction and physical and organizational structures that enable cities to function, there is the aim of meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the capabilities of the future generations.

Unsustainable development occurs when present progress is at the expense of future generations. For example, irresponsible planning and environmental degradation through exploitation of resources generates waste and pollution that damages ecosystems. Such practices are not sustainable in the long term.

An example of an infrastructure project is Maradu building complex, Kochi.

The Supreme Court directed demolition of flats built on the coastal zone of Kochi's Maradu within 138 days and asked the Kerala government to pay Rs 25 lakh interim compensation to each flat owner within four weeks.

The Bench directed the authorities concerned, represented by advocate Romy Chacko appearing for the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority, to clear the buildings within a period of one month and to submit a report before the court. The court said the State cannot bear illegal constructions with the danger of floods and heavy rain looming large.

The permission to construct the buildings was granted in 2006 when Maradu was a panchayat.

The special leave petition was filed against the judgment of the Kerala High Court whereby a showcause notice issued by the Maradu panchayat was quashed by the High Court. The Supreme Court had passed an order on November 27 last year directing the constitution of an expert committee to report on whether the area wherein the apartments were sanctioned and constructed comes within Costal Regulation Zone (CRZ II or CRZ III).

The committee submitted its report stating that as per the CRZ notification of 1991 and Kerala Coastal Zone Management Plan (KCZMP) 1996, the area in question came under CRZ III. As per the CRZ notification 1991, no construction is permitted within 200 metres from the coastal line in CRZ III.

The building permit was granted by the panchayat to the builders without obtaining the concurrence of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority who is the competent authority to grant approval for construction within a CRZ area.

Accepting the above contention, the court observed that CRZ violations cannot be lightly condoned in view of the natural calamities happening in different parts of the country.

The top court had said that it appears that the authorities, rather than preventing the violations, were trying to mobilize the public opinion and time has come to hold them responsible for their active connivance in such activities of degrading the environment and violation of the coastal zone regulations.

Every project should have a Disaster Management professional in its team since inception to avoid such objections after investing lot of resources and time.