Demolition of Chander Kunj Army Towers: Bids are invited for a project management consultant

A meeting of the district committee, with the Ernakulam District Collector as convener, has decided to issue a request for proposal (RFP) at the earliest, inviting bids for appointment of a project management consultant (PMC) and an agency to carry out the demolition of the twin towers of Chander Kunj apartments at Vyttila in Kochi, Kerala.

Apartment owners have insisted that the proposed PMC should be an international company with experience in executing multiple projects worth over ₹300 crore. An initial assessment of the Twin Towers by a team of experts in March this year indicated that planning, preparation, demolition and debris removal could take nine to 10 months.

In February, the Kerala High Court ordered the demolition and reconstruction of Towers B and C of the Chander Kunj Army Towers, developed by the Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO), citing serious structural problems.

Of the 208 affected apartment owners in the two towers, all but one have already been evicted after the AWHO credited six months’ advance payment to an escrow account, as directed by the Kerala High Court. AWHO has credited ₹2.97 crore – at the rate of ₹30,000 per month for B tower owners and ₹35,000 per month for C tower owners. The apartment owners had refused to leave unless the AWHO paid them the rent in advance, which also disrupted the original evacuation deadline of August 31.

In previous meetings, the district committee had set November 9, 2025 as a provisional date for the demolition of the Twin Towers, and October 31, 2029 for the delivery of the new apartments.

Steps are likely to be taken soon to hand over the Twin Towers to the Kanayannur Tahsildar. The AWHO is also tasked with submitting applications to the concerned departments for the approvals required to commence construction of the new towers.

Meanwhile, the Chander Kunj Army Towers Apartment Owners Association (CATAOA) has proposed appointing a technical consultant to oversee the demolition and reconstruction of the towers. A construction and geotechnical expert can be engaged for this.

The association is expected to take the matter to the district committee soon.