The Karnataka government on Monday decided to provide alternate housing to those “genuine” homeless whose illegally constructed houses or sheds were demolished by authorities at Kogilu in the northern part of Bengaluru during a demolition drive.
The relief, said the government, was based on humanitarian grounds.
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.
The demolition episode turned into a political row with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticising it as the “brutal normalisation of the bulldozer raj”.
The government-built flats in Baiyappanahalli, located about 7 km from Kogilu, are being earmarked for eligible affected families. About 1,187 houses have been constructed by the government for the poor and homeless.
“These houses were built illegally on government property, however, on humanitarian grounds we will provide alternative arrangements. The flats, costing around Rs 11.2 lakh each, will be allotted in multi-storey buildings. Subsidies will be extended under State and Central government housing schemes, along with an additional Rs 5 lakh support per house from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA),” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said after chairing a meeting with his deputy DK Shivakumar, the housing minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and other officials of GBA.
Under the proposed structure:
* The General category beneficiaries will receive subsidies totalling Rs 8.7 lakh, with the remaining Rs 2.5 lakh given as a loan.
* The SC/ST beneficiaries will receive subsidies of Rs 9.5 lakh, with the balance Rs 1.7 lakh provided as a loan.
Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan has been tasked with completing verification of eligible families within two days and ensuring they can move into the houses from January 1.
The Chief Minister also clarified that while the demolished structures were illegal, the relief is being extended purely on humanitarian grounds.
Officials have also been warned of strict action if illegal constructions are allowed in future.
BJP Criticises Government Decision
Leader of the Opposition in the council Chaluvadi Narayanswamy criticised the move, alleging the state government had performed a “U-turn” under pressure from political bosses.
“Why is the government doing a U-turn on the demolitions after a message from KC Venugopal? Why is he interfering in state administration? The people living there include illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya groups, and a few Dalits are being used to shield them,” he claimed.