Pictures: Kerala blows up luxury high-rises over environmental violations

A view of Jain Coral Cove apartment being demolished through a controlled implosion, in Kochi. Sending a strong message to violators of environmental norms, the Supreme Court ordered demolition drive against four illegal waterfront apartment complexes here was completed on Sunday with the last two high rises pulled down using controlled implosion method.

Jain Coral cove apartment being demolished through a controlled implosion, in Maradu, Kochi. In perhaps the first of its kind drive in the country against illegal residential high rises, the four concrete colossuses housing nearly 350 flats were reduced to piles of rubble in seconds one after another over the last two days.

A view of Holy Faith H20, a water-front complex, being demolished using controlled implosion at Maradu in Kochi. Explosives, weighing nearly 750 kg, were used in a controlled manner to bring down the lakeside structures in Maradu, eight months after the apex court ordered their demolition for violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone norms.

A view of Jain Coral Cove apartment being demolished using controlled implosion, in Kochi. The Kerala government stuck to its time line of 138 days given to the Supreme Court in September last year as the meticulously planned operation was successfully carried out in a precise manner amid tight security and after people in the neighbourhood were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The second tower of water-front residential apartment Alpha Serene is blasted using controlled implosion in Kochi. The government, which made it clear that it will implement the court orders, had managed to evict the owners of the flat, who staged protests, saying they had invested their hard earned money in buying the flats. The Supreme Court had ordered payment of Rs 25 lakh as interim compensation.

A view of Jain Coral Cove apartment being demolished through a controlled implosion, in Kochi. The towering buildings that took several months to build and had housed 100s of families collapsed inwards into a pile of rubble like a house of cards in seconds, triggering mammoth clouds of dust. Just in a few seconds, the towering buildings, whose interior walls had been removed in pre-demolition work over the past weeks leaving them concrete shells, became mounds of debris.

A view of the twin towers of Alfa Serene apartment being demolished using controlled implosion at Maradu in Kochi. While Mumbai-based Edifices Engineering carried out the explosion with the assistance of experts from South Africa- based Jet Demolition, the twin towers of Alfa Serene were demolished by Chennai-based Vijay Steels.

A view of Holy Faith H20, a water-front complex, being demolished using controlled implosion at Maradu in Kochi.

Alpha Serene, a water-front residential apartment, is razed to the ground by controlled implosion in Kochi.

Water-front residential apartments Alpha Serene, left and center, and Holy Faith H2O, right, stand before they were razed to the ground by controlled implosion in Kochi

High-rise luxury apartment Holy Faith H2O, is brought to ground by controlled implosion in Kochi.

A view of the twin towers of Alfa Serene apartment being demolished using controlled implosion at Maradu in Kochi.

People gather to watch the the twin towers of Alfa Serene apartment being demolished using controlled implosion at Maradu in Kochi.

Golden Kayalorum apartment being demolished through a controlled implosion, in Maradu, Kochi.

A view of Holy Faith H20, a water-front complex, being demolished using controlled implosion at Maradu in Kochi.

A view of Holy Faith H20, a water-front complex, being demolished using controlled implosion at Maradu in Kochi.

Residents gather to witness the implosion of apartment complexes following the Supreme Court decision to demolish them for violating coastal construction regulations in Kochi.

A view of Jain Coral Cove apartment being demolished through a controlled implosion, in Kochi.

Golden Kayalorum apartment being demolished through a controlled implosion, in Maradu, Kochi.

H2O Holy Faith apartment tower being demolished through controlled implosion in Maradu, Kochi.