P Ramdas By Express News Service KOCHI: He had been living in his flat on the 18th floor of H2O Holy Faith for the past seven years. He cherishes the moments of joy and sorrow, lights and shades of life while living in the high rise. He had spent the earnings of his life to purchase the flat. And what was the most precious of his belongings was reduced to a heap of rubble just in front of his eyes within a matter of seconds. Hours after reaching the spot where his apartment once stood, Jayakumar Vallikkavu, an NRI picked up a lock and chain from the debris. “This was the chain used to lock the entrance gate of the apartment. I will keep it as a token of memory of something that was the most prized possession in my life,” he said, struggling to hold the tears rolling down his eyes. Jayakumar said he bought the apartment by spending a huge chunk of his savings in 2013. The compensation of `25 lakh awarded by the Supreme Court amounted to nothing. Some of the owners said they had purchased the apartments after raising loans from financial institutions. Soon after the police eased the security and allowed people to visit the demolition zone, a number of flat owners including film director Major Ravi arrived at H2O flat area.

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