Chander Kunj Army Towers demolition: Bids to be invited for 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 the appointment of a project management consultant (PMC) and an agency to carry out the demolition of the twin towers of the Chander Kunj Apartments at Vyttila in Kochi, Kerala.

Apartment owners have insisted that the proposed PMC should be an international firm with experience of having executed multiple projects valued at over ₹300 crore. An initial assessment of the twin towers by a team of experts in March this year indicated that the planning, preparation, demolition, and debris removal may take nine to ten 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 Organisation (AWHO), citing serious structural issues.

Of the 208 affected apartment owners in the two towers, all except one have already vacated after AWHO credited six months’ advance rent to an escrow account, as directed by the Kerala High Court. AWHO 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 vacate unless AWHO paid them advance rent, which also disrupted the original evacuation deadline of August 31.

In previous meetings, the district committee had set November 9, 2025 as the tentative date for the demolition of the twin towers, and October 31, 2029 for handing over the newly constructed apartments.

Steps are likely to be initiated shortly to hand over the twin towers to the Kanayannur tahsildar. AWHO has also been entrusted with submitting applications to the departments concerned for the approvals required to begin construction of the new towers.

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

The association is expected to raise the matter before the district committee shortly.