Kochi, Sep 30 — A project once held up as an example of Kerala's previous Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government's drive to provide homes for the poor is now facing a Vigilance probe over serious construction irregularities.
A total of 78 families reside in the flats which were commissioned in 2024, and in under two years, their joy of owning a home has turned into misery.
On Wednesday, the V.D.Satheesan government has ordered a Vigilance investigation into the Mundamveli flat complex in Kochi.
The inquiry follows complaints over the construction and the condition of the flats, with residents repeatedly raising concerns about the safety and quality of the project.
The Vigilance inquiry was recommended by Minister K.M. Shaji.
The construction-related issues had also been raised in the previous Assembly session.
The Mundamveli project was part of the larger Life Mission housing programme of the previous government.
The then Chief Minister Vijayan and Local Self Government Minister M.B. Rajesh had repeatedly projected Life Mission as a major achievement of the Left government and as evidence of its commitment to providing housing for the poor.
The condition of the Mundamveli flats has now brought that claim under scrutiny.
According to the complaints, the flats developed serious problems soon after construction.
Residents have alleged that they have been forced to live with continuing defects despite repeated complaints.
The project has also come under criticism over the decision to use the pre-engineered building method.
The Vigilance probe will examine how the project was awarded and executed and whether the prescribed technical procedures were followed.
Questions have also been raised over the decision to award the contract to the TDLC despite its lack of prior experience in the pre-engineered building method.
The GCDA allegedly awarded the contract without adequate technical scrutiny.
The technical committee of the Local Self Government Department has also come under scrutiny for allegedly failing to assess whether the company had the capacity to execute the design it had prepared.
The project was reportedly pushed as a modern, cost-effective and faster way of providing houses under Life Mission.
The pressure to increase the number of houses and complete them quickly is now among the issues that the inquiry is expected to examine.
Chief Minister Satheesan last week had said the Mundamveli flats should be demolished, underlining the seriousness of the concerns surrounding the complex.
The Vigilance probe will now determine whether the construction failures were the result of technical lapses, faulty decision-making, inadequate scrutiny, or other irregularities.