The metro viaduct proceeding beyond the Vyttila Mobility Hub towards Pettah is located close to the Chander Kunj Army towers.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has approached the Ernakulam district administration demanding that the safety of the Vyttila-Pettah metro viaduct be ensured while demolishing a pair of the 28-storey apartment towers built by the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) on Silversand Island at Vyttila.
The towers had developed cracks reportedly due to shoddy construction, following which it was decided to demolish them over a 10-month time span. The metro viaduct proceeding beyond the Vyttila Mobility Hub towards Pettah is located close to the towers.
Metro sources said they had sent a letter to the district administration seeking details like the plan of action for the demolition, the intensity of the vibration that would occur, and other technical details. This is because of their proximity to the pillars that support the viaduct through which metro trains ferry passengers.
Apart from the proximity of the metro viaduct to the towers, the precautions that the metro agency is taking are also being seen against the backdrop of speed restrictions that were imposed in the metro’s Kaloor-JLN stadium corridor earlier this year following detection of wear and tear on a ‘pedestal bearing’ located between the viaduct and the pillar along the corridor. The speed curbs were subsequently lifted on March 17 on completion of repair works.
Published – March 20, 2025 11:54 pm IST
