The Kerala High Court has cleared the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) to carry out development works and install kiosks along Kochi’s Queens Walkway and the Goshree-Chathyath Road, overturning an earlier order that had stopped the construction.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Dr A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice A.K. Preetha set aside the single-bench ruling after hearing appeals filed by GIDA and C. Jacob and Company, the contractor awarded the kiosk construction work. The earlier petition had been filed by the Trinity Apartment Owners Association.
The court held that the road and walkway are located on 25 hectares of land assigned to GIDA in Ernakulam village. It said the land had been reclaimed and allotted to the authority as part of the Vypeen bridge project and the broader development of the area. The land, the court stated, had not vested in the Kochi Municipal Corporation.
The ruling places responsibility for development of the site with GIDA, including the road network, bridges and other works linked to the reclaimed land. The court also referred to the government’s decision to allot the land to GIDA for reclamation and development connected with the Vypeen bridge project.
Pedestrian access was a central issue in the case. GIDA told the court that the revised plan would provide a 2.5-metre-wide passage without obstruction for people walking through the area. The authority also gave an undertaking to construct railings along the walkway.
On the basis of these assurances and the revised design, the Division Bench held that installing the kiosks would not violate the fundamental rights of pedestrians. The decision allows the kiosk work to proceed under the revised plan while retaining a designated walking route and protective railings.
The case highlights the administrative importance of determining which public agency controls reclaimed urban land and is responsible for its development. Although the site functions as a public road and waterfront walkway, the court’s ruling distinguishes operational responsibility from municipal jurisdiction by holding that the 25 hectares are vested with GIDA rather than the Kochi Corporation.
The ruling also gives effect to the authority’s stated plan to combine commercial kiosks with pedestrian infrastructure. The court’s order is based on GIDA’s undertaking that the walkway will remain accessible and that the revised layout will preserve a 2.5-metre passage. Further construction and development at Queens Walkway and along Goshree-Chathyath Road will therefore be undertaken according to that plan.
