The owners of flats in illegally constructed in Kochi that have been scheduled for demolition tomorrow, must be paid ad hoc compensation of Rs. 25 lakh within 4 weeks, the Supreme Court said today. The court also said the demolition of all four buildings must be completed within 120 days, as per schedule provided by the state. "Our main concern is construction violations, but we're not against them (flat owners), we can't leave them in the lurch. They've got to be adequately compensated," the court said, adding, "If you don't, we'll ask someone else to do that." In reaction, the state government said it had hired a demolition agency and had already disconnected water and electricity supplies to over 340 apartments. The next hearing has been fixed for October 25.
Compensation of Rs 25 la
