72-year-old PV Joseph’s life suffered a devastating blow 26 years ago when he lost his only son at the age of 19.
What started as a simple fever ended in heartbreak; His son developed blood cancer, and within a week he was gone. Joseph and his wife never recovered from that loss; Grief followed him like a shadow for years.
Then, last month, life got another shock when the Kerala High Court ordered that families accused of encroachment on the Konthuruthy river Purambok (Government owned land) in Kochi city will have to be vacated within four months. Located in Elamkulam village in Kanayannur taluk of Ernakulam district, the Konthuruthy river was once a bustling navigation channel connecting the Thevara Canal with the dazzling Nettur backwaters.
“Since then I have lost sleep, because I fear being evicted at any moment. Only with my ailing wife, if evicted from my house, where I have lived for almost 50 years, I have nowhere else to go except the road,” he says, leaning against the door frame of his seemingly dilapidated house, affected by regular tidal floods from the Konthuruthy river.
Following the court order, 126 families on the banks of Konthuruthy river Puramboke will be evacuated. | Photo Courtesy: H. Vibhu
While court and government documents describe the reservoir as a river, residents consider it to be nothing more than a canal. Another 125 families living along the reservoir, divided by Konthuruthy Road, now face the possibility of imminent displacement.
legal challenges
Their ownership of the land is under challenge ever since Konthuruthy-based social activist KJ Tomy has filed a writ petition before the Kerala High Court, seeking restoration of the river to its original width of 48 meters and removal of all encroachments.
Tommy recalls, “During my childhood, the river was a magnificent expanse of water, sustaining countless lives and serving a variety of purposes. A bridge that once spanned its width was demolished, clearing the way for rampant encroachment. What was once a prosperous river gradually reduced to a small stream, carrying garbage.”
A view of the Konthuruthy Canal. The fate of 126 families living on the banks of Konthuruthy river Puramboke hangs in balance as a meeting called by the Kochi Corporation did not yield any concrete solution except deciding to approach the Kerala High Court seeking more time for eviction and rehabilitation. The corporation also decided to form a ten-member committee, including two councilors from the respective divisions, to represent the interests of the affected families. | Photo Courtesy: H. Vibhu
Tommy says this degradation is what compelled him to fight to restore the river to its lost glory.
In August 2013, the High Court referred the petition to the southern region bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) under the impression that it related to pollution. However, when the case came before the tribunal in May 2015, it became clear that the issue involved encroachment rather than pollution, an area over which the tribunal had no jurisdiction. The petitioner withdrew the case and moved the High Court in 2016.
stroll along the street
Walking through the narrow lane of a residential colony strewn with junk, VS Baiju, 52, a casual worker, points out dilapidated houses, where chunks of concrete are peeling off the walls.
A view of the Konthuruthy Canal in Kochi. The fate of 126 families living on the banks of Konthuruthy river Puramboke hangs in balance as a meeting called by the Kochi Corporation did not yield any concrete solution except deciding to approach the Kerala High Court seeking more time for eviction and rehabilitation. H. Vibhu Photo Courtesy: H. Vibhu
“Most of the houses are in poor condition, but with the threat of eviction looming, the largely poor residents cannot spend money on repairs. There is no question of new construction as the corporation no longer allows it. We had originally constructed these houses after the corporation cleared the plans, but now, suddenly, we have been branded as encroachers.”
However, corporation officials reject this claim, saying that no such approval has been given for construction on the Purambok river.
PV Joseph is a resident of Konthuruthy River Puramboke. | Photo Courtesy: H. Vibhu
VG John, 45, born and brought up in Konthuruthy residential colony, fears the possibility of sudden eviction without any notice, as happened to 40 families on the opposite bank of the canal more than a decade ago. He says that dislocated portion has since been converted into a fenced path that now serves as a parking lot. They allege that to increase the width of the river, the boundary stones have been placed at a slant to target the poor in the colony, while the rich have been spared.
In December 2019, the Kochi Corporation Council resolved to prepare an action plan to restore the river to a width of 16 metres, citing the minimum requirement for inland navigation. The civic body hopes the proposal will limit displacement to fewer families. However, the District Collector’s report stated that restoration of the river to a width of 29 meters was possible, leaving the Corporation in trouble.
A group of residents, Konthuruthy Action Council, led a 165-day strike against their possible displacement. Just as the movement was gaining momentum, the pandemic broke out, disrupting the movement and confining everyone indoors.
Later, on June 9, 2020, the High Court directed that all encroachments be removed within a year, entrusting the state government and the corporation with the task of rehabilitating the families. The corporation was also directed not to give permanent building numbers to the constructions done by the encroachers until the court’s directions are fully implemented.
“We were not even aware of the decision as it came during the pandemic and we could not mount a legal challenge in time,” says PB Siju, convener of the Action Council. The Action Council has since become largely inactive due to differences of opinion among the affected families, which residents attribute to politics and vested interests.
Leena Divakaran is a resident of Konthuruthy River Puramboke. | Photo Courtesy: H. Vibhu
The government presented an estimate of ₹24.82 crore for the rehabilitation of the evicted people as Tomy filed a contempt petition in 2022 for non-implementation of the court decision.
Abandoned plans
The land identified for rehabilitation in Puthuvipay and Palluruthy had to be abandoned due to Coastal Regulation Zone restrictions. Revenue officials say the beneficiaries also rejected another 1.40-acre plot identified in Vazhakkala, citing distance from their current homes and proximity to the Chitrapuzha river, which they feared could create problems in the future.
Leena Divakaran, a 60-year-old widow, says any such move will deprive domestic helpers like her of their work as they were being employed by families in the neighborhood they knew.
Despite such concerns, in a meeting called by the District Collector and the Mayor, they agreed to vacate if appropriate compensation was paid. While the corporation agreed to distribute the maximum permissible amount under the state government’s housing project, Life Mission, the beneficiaries demanded higher compensation. Subsequently, the Corporation prepared a rehabilitation project estimating ₹14 lakh per unit. However, under the existing rules, only ₹9.25 lakh per unit – ₹5.25 lakh for land purchase and ₹4 lakh for house construction – was allowed.
As the negotiation process dragged on, the court issued an ultimatum to the Kochi Corporation on December 16, 2025, to remove all encroachments within four months.
A meeting called by the Chief Secretary to finalize the rehabilitation measures as directed by the court recommended that the Kochi Corporation raise ₹4.75 lakh per unit, over and above the ₹9.25 lakh permissible under the LIFE Mission.
Earlier this month, the newly elected governing committee of the corporation decided to form a 10-member committee, including councilors from Konthuruthy and Thevara, to act as a contact point for future talks and approach the court seeking extension of the deadline.
Konthuruthy councilor KS Abhishek says, “The committee has not been formed yet. There is internal discord among the affected families. I am urging them not to go their separate ways, but remain united for the common cause.”
The civic body’s plea to extend the deadline, citing the need for time for the newly elected steering committee to find a solution, was last week rejected by the High Court, which directed it to adhere to the original four-month deadline. This has forced the civic body to explore the possibility of approaching the apex court.
Mayor VK Minimol says, “It is impossible for the corporation to accomplish this alone without the help of the state government. We have sought time to meet the chief minister and ministers to discuss the matter. Even if the corporation, despite its precarious financial position, manages to bridge the gap between the Life Mission allocation and the estimated rehabilitation cost, it will still need the state government’s approval.”
“What we want is a court-monitored re-survey that will reduce the scale of evictions to a minimal level. Those who own other properties and have rented out their homes in the colony will be satisfied with whatever little compensation they will be given. But this is not the case for the majority of residents who cannot afford to leave without proper compensation. The authorities should not wait until some of us before hearing our plight. Don’t get crushed to death under collapsing houses,” says Siju, who is translating various court judgments from English to Malayalam. Legal nuances.
As the threat of inevitable eviction looms, the threat of uprooting them from their land, residents are increasingly worried.
55 year old Beena has become so upset that she complains of vomiting every morning. In her desperation, 65-year-old widow Omana Chandran is ready to give up even her house, provided her small shop selling provisions and various goods can be saved. “Both my knees have been operated on. I am having trouble even walking. If my shop gets demolished, there is no way for me to earn a living,” she says through tears.
And for children like Anaswara, a class four student at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Katari Bagh, the biggest shock is the possibility of losing her neighborhood friends. She keeps asking her father if they will be displaced.
And his stony silence makes her cry every time.
