Home owners left in the lurch following Kerala's forced demolition of luxury flats

Mr Farhan Adam speaks of his luxury flat in Alfa Serene Apartments, in the city of Kochi, as if it were not just a home, but a lucky charm.

It was where the 31-year-old seafood exporter met and married his wife and had a daughter, who loved the swimming pool downstairs. It was where his 54-year-old father moved to after selling his ancestral house. The family had lived there for seven years.

"Gone in nine seconds flat" was how the Times of India described it on Sunday.

One moment, there were two high-rise buildings near Vembanadu Lake, an ecologically sensitive area in Kerala state's Maradu region. The next moment, they had collapsed in a huge plume of dust.

Over the weekend, four high-rise lakeside apartment complexes, including Mr Adam's, were demolished in a few seconds. It was a spectacle that the authorities hope will deter builders from violating India's environmental norms.

Last September, after more than a decade of litigation, the Supreme Court said these buildings in Maradu had been constructed within 200m of Vembanadu, in violation of environmental rules protecting coastal zones. The court ordered the buildings' demolition.

Among the roughly 350 home owners were affluent businessmen, corporate professionals, a movie director, an up-and-coming actor, non-resident Indians and retired bankers. The Supreme Court ordered the Kerala government to give them 2.5 million rupees (S$47,400) each as compensation.

"Is it a joke? Last year, someone bought a flat here for 13.3 million rupees. With 2.5 million, you can't even buy a 1,000 sq ft property," Mr Adam said.

In one chaotic week last October, all the residents were forced to move out.

"It was a bad scene - the lifts were flooded, so the elderly had to walk down 10 to 15 floors. People were crying, plucking out their 2.5 million rupee-worth flooring, doors, expensive bathroom fittings," said Mr Adam, who now rents an apartment nearby.

India's urban authorities often demolish slums and evict their residents. But the razing of luxury apartments is almost unheard of.

The Kerala government hired two private companies to demolish the buildings without harming the lake and neighbouring areas. In a video circulated by officials, Mr Keven Smith, an engineer from South African firm Jet Demolition, showed how the controlled demolitions would occur. Workers drilled holes into columns to place explosives, wrapping pillars with layers of steel and toughened fabric, and covering surrounding buildings to protect them from damage.

Onlookers were told to stay more than 200m away from the site.

But last Saturday, crowds gathered to watch two of the four apartment complexes fall. Mr Adam watched, too, for a sense of closure.

As the buildings fell like curtains, many onlookers cheered.

Domestic worker Hema Devendran watched the scene on TV "without blinking". She said: "We should not cheer but I never thought the rich would ever face the same plight as the poor."

India's wealth inequality is staggering: The top 1 per cent of the population holds 73 per cent of the wealth, while about 1.8 million Indians are homeless.

According to social consultancy FSG, about 37 million Indian households live in informal housing like slums, under the constant threat of eviction or demolition.

A flat owner from H2O, one of the demolished apartment complexes, said: "It hurt to see people celebrating. Not all of us are millionaires, you know? My wife and I took a housing loan."

The corporate professionals do not know if they will have to continue paying loan instalments for apartments that no longer exist.

Flat owners were upset that corrupt and negligent government officials have gone unpunished. They asked if other ecologically unsafe buildings would be razed too.

Kerala's huge network of backwaters, lakes and rivers are fragile ecosystems but also major tourist attractions. An estimated 20,000 properties, most of them resorts and five-star hotels, are reportedly in violation of coastal regulations.

Mr Adam said he still has his apartment key. "There is no lock, no door, no building. But I don't feel like throwing the key away."

Following the end of the Maradu apartments, the Kerala government told the state court that it has issued demolition notices to 625 other buildings around the lake.