Countdown to demolish Maradu flats begins

People will not be allowed to gather within a 200m radius of the apartment complexes that will be demolished in Maradu as the district administration will impose CrPC Section 144 during demolition on January 11 and 12. Prohibitory orders, which will be in effect from 9am, will be revoked once officials concerned inform the district administration that the place is safe for people to return. To ensure law and safety, around 500 policemen will be deployed at the boundary of each exclusion zone that would be marked with red flags. Evacuation of people from houses near the apartment complexes will start at 8.30am on January 11. There will be pick up points for transporting residents to shelter points. Senior citizens will get special attention. At 10.30am, the first siren will be given and it will last one minute. This is to warn people and ensure that nobody is left inside exclusion zone. A police team will then search the exclusion zone. At 10.55am another one-minute siren will alert motorists and all traffic movement on major roads will be stopped. Then five minutes prior to the blasting another siren will be sounded as a warning. To ensure safety cover for police personnel posted at the boundary of the exclusion zone, siren will be blown till the blasting process is over. A 30 second-long siren will be blown to indicate the building has been cleared after the entry of demolition agency members.