Eviction row: K'taka govt decides to give alternate accommodation to genuine people without house

Bengaluru, Dec 29 (PTI) Karnataka government on Monday decided to provide alternate accommodations to those "genuine" homeless whose illegally constructed houses or sheds were demolished by authorities at Kogilu in northern part of the city during a demolition drive.

The relief was based on humanitarian grounds.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and attended by his deputy and Bengaluru in-charge Minister D K Shivakumar, Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and top officials of the government.

The chief minister instructed officials not to allow any illegal encroachments and constructions, and warned action against jurisdictional officials if it happens. He also accused Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan of unnecessarily politicising the issue.

The demolition of houses at Kogilu's Waseem Layout and Fakir Colony on December 20 was carried out by Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited to clear encroachments for a proposed solid waste processing unit.

"167 houses or sheds that were constructed illegally in government land were demolished after serving notices. They had not vacated despite serving notice....the illegal houses had come in part of about 15 acres of land that was transferred by the Deputy Commissioner to city corporation for waste management some years ago, the land has rock and quarry. Garbage is being dumped there and the corporation is in possession of the land," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters, he said people have been staying illegally on that land by constructing illegal sheds, and action will be taken against officials who allowed it.

"I have asked for action to be taken against jurisdictional revenue officers and corporation officers, because such illegal encroachments cannot happen without the notice of the officials. I have given strict instructions to officials to ensure that such illegal encroachments or constructions of houses are not allowed, and in case it happens, the concerned officials will be held responsible," he added.

Regarding those whose illegally constructed sheds were demolished, the CM said he has asked the Deputy Commissioner of the district and concerned corporation commissioner to verify their genuineness in the next two days, and to rehabilitate them with alternate arrangements.

"Deputy commissioner and corporation officials will provide the list of those eligible and on the basis of it alternate arrangements will be made," he said.

Siddaramaiah said genuine persons based on the list provided by the authorities will be allotted houses at Byappanahalli which is about 7 km from Kogilu, where about 1,187 houses have been constructed by the government for the poor and homeless.

Each house costing Rs 11.20 lakh will be allotted to the beneficiaries, he said.

After verification of the beneficiary list provided by officials, from January 1, the houses will be allotted, he said.

"The houses that were demolished were illegally constructed, but on humanitarian grounds we will be making alternate housing arrangements to these people." The CM responding to a question, said, the Communist party "people" politicised this issue unnecessarily.

"None other than the CM of Kerala has made it an issue, because of upcoming Assembly polls there in the month of March or April. He had sent a MLA and Rajya Sabha member to Kogilu," he said.

The demolition episode turned into a political row with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan criticising it as the "brutal normalisation of the bulldozer raj".

Some political leaders and organisations from Kerala to have visited the demolition site which is being seen by some as "minority vote bank politics" by politicians from the neighbouring state, as most of the affected are said to be Muslims.

Asked whether houses will be given in other such illegal construction demolition cases, Siddaramaiah said, "Let's see when the issue comes. We have instructed officials not to allow illegal constructions or encroachments." The CM said that AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal had discussed the demolition issue with him and Shivakumar.

"I have told him that alternate arrangements will be made, as they cannot be allowed to continue there, as it is government land and they had illegally constructed sheds there illegally." After Kerala CM's criticism, Venugoapl, who is also from Kerala, had recently said he has spoken to the CM and deputy CM and conveyed the AICC's serious concern that such actions (demolition) should have been undertaken with far greater caution, sensitivity, and compassion, keeping the human impact at the centre.

Earlier in the day, BJP leader R Ashoka hitting out at Congress government in the state said, "Is the Kerala government ruling Karnataka? Is the state government being run by Congress High Command agent Venugopal? Does the Kerala government have authority over Karnataka's land?" Shivakumar, who visited the demolition site earlier in the day, reacting to BJP's criticism said, "Venugopal is our leader and General Secretary, he has all right to advise us. If anything is wrong and has come into the national arena, he has every right to advise us. There is nothing wrong, we are a national party. He is not interfering in administration." Earlier in the day, a team from the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission visited the demolition site, and said that, prima facie, it appears proper alternative arrangements were not made for the residents, a matter that will be verified. PTI KSU SA