Petition filed in HC against Skycity project

KOCHI: A petition has been filed before the Kerala High Court against the proposed Skycity project on the  ground that it will adversely affect the eco-system of the area. The petitioner, the Indian Institute of Architects, submitted  that the Chilavannor backwaters is part of the Vembanad Lake which is a Ramsar site, a wetland protected under international convention. The proposed project falls within the areas included in the Coastal Regulation Zone, where construction is prohibited.  The project aims at easing the traffic snarls in the city involves the construction of two flyovers over the backwaters at an estimated cost of Rs 467 crore.The company had claimed that they have obtained necessary permissions for implementing the project. But this is not true, the petitioner said. It  had also stated that the flyovers will solve the entire traffic problems of the city. But it has not disclosed how the problem will be solved, the petitioner said. The project is also not technically viable. It is only  misleading the public under the guise of creating a ‘sky city.’  Public properties like land and water cannot be given to any private party for undertaking commercial activities.  The petitioner also sought a directive not to allow such construction activities within protected areas to safeguard the interest of the public.