Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the twin apartment towers built at Thuruthy near Fort Kochi was a model for the entire country.He was delivering the inaugural address at the commissioning of the housing project for 394 families from Thuruthy colony on Saturday (September 27, 2025). “When the government put forward the idea of housing for all, many dismissed it as impossible. The government went ahead overcoming people who dismissed it and objected needlessly,” Mr. Vijayan said.The government has so far built around four lakh houses in the State. Ernakulam alone has received 40,000 houses. The multi-storey apartments in Fort Kochi is in addition to that. Mr. Vijayan said that attempts were being made to sabotage the government’s welfare projects.Attempts were made to disrupt not just LIFE Mission but even welfare pension. There was even opposition to the K-FON project, which aimed to provide Internet connection to the poor, the Chief Minister said, adding that people had begun to realise that attempts were being made to disrupt welfare projects. Mr. Vijayan stressed the need to remain united for the welfare of the poor despite differences in political beliefs.Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan handing over the key of an apartment unit to a beneficiary on Saturday (September 27, 2025). | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKATLocal Self-Government Minister M.B. Rajesh presided over the function. Industries Minister P. Rajeeve and Mayor M. Anilkumar were present.The project was implemented by the Kochi Corporation under the Rajiv Awas Yojana, a scheme aimed at making the country slum-free. One of the two apartment complexes was constructed by the Corporation and the other by Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML).The first complex, built by the Corporation, has a built-up area of 10,796.42 sq.m and involved an investment of ₹41.74 crore. The 11-storey tower features 199 units, each measuring 300 sq.ft. Each unit comprises a dining-cum-living area, a bedroom, a kitchen, a balcony, and two toilets. Additionally, there are 81 parking slots, a sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 105 KLD, and three elevators and staircases.The first floor includes a common area of 150 sq.m and another of 800 sq.m on the 11th floor. The first tower also houses an anganwadi and 14 shops on the ground floor. Both towers are equipped with lifts.CSML constructed the second tower at an investment of ₹44.01 crore. Built around a common courtyard, it contains 195 units spread across 13 floors, with each unit measuring 350 sq.ft. Each floor has 15 units. The ground floor includes 18 shop rooms and parking spaces. The tower has a total built-up area of 10,221 sq.m and is equipped with three lifts and staircases. Solar panels have been installed on the rooftop. The parking area can accommodate 68 cars and 17 two-wheelers.Published - September 28, 2025 01:47 am IST