Quixplaned: why is Kerala's luxurious Kapico resort being demolished?

The demolition of a seven-star private resort began at a tiny island in Vembanad Lake of Alappuzha district in Kerala on Thursday.

The sprawling Kapico Resort complex worth Rs 200 crore, houses 54 premium villas in the backwaters of the Alappuzha district and will be demolished over a course of 6 months.

The Supreme Court in 2020 had ordered the demolition of the resort for land encroachment and violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules.

As per the Ministry of Environment and Forests regulations, the coastal land up to 500m from the High Tide Line and a stage of 100m along banks of creeks, lagoons, estuaries, backwater and rivers subject to tidal fluctuations, is called the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).

A few days ago, part of Curlies restaurant in Goa was also demolished for alleged CRZ violations. This is the same resort where former BJP leader Sonali Phogat breathed her last.

The Kapico Resort project is spread over 7 hectares of area and was earlier ordered to be demolished in 2013 by the Kerala High Court.

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The resort management challenged the decision in Supreme Court which stayed High Court's order and ordered demolition in 2020.

Meanwhile, environmentalists fear that demolishing the structures and transportation of demolition waste pose risk as there is a possibility of debris, including hazardous waste, falling into the lake.