Slum board’s move to evict 160 families resisted by AAP workers

By Sanjay R. Murty | NT

Bengaluru: Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB) on Friday attempted to evict about 160 families from an apartment complex situated in a slum in Subramanyapura. The complex was built to rehabilitate those who previously lived in huts on the same land.

Authorities of the board sought assistance from the police to carry out the eviction drive. However, members of the Aam Aadmi Party reached the spot and protested against the move.

Several leaders of AAP, including retired ADGP Bhaskar Rao, reached the spot. Manjunath Swamy, an advocate, said that the act was illegal as no prior notices were served to the people.

“Towards the end of January, we gave a representation from AAP to the board after we got to know about the eviction. When we did not receive a reply, we went on to file an injunction suit with the City Civil Court. When the matter is still pending in court, the board is trying to hurriedly evict the residents,”

he said, noting that Friday was the last working day for courts before the summer vacation began.

The complex was constructed under a JNNURM project between 2012 and 2016 and consists of 880 houses. Manjunath Swamy said that the families who previously lived in the slum have been residing in these houses for more than a decade now, but were not given possession certificates.

He alleged that the local Congress leaders had received Rs 2 lakh per house to get them allotted to others.

“Both the MLA and the MP are involved in this,” he said. The site comes under Bangalore South Assembly Constituency and Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha Constituency.

On the other hand, an Executive Engineer from KSDB told News Trail that no notices were needed as the families were occupying the houses illegally. “The authorised allottees are repeatedly approaching the board to obtain possession of their houses.

We have taken the help of the police as the occupants did not budge. The allottees also requested police protection,” he said and added that a public notice had been issued three months ago.

KSDB has reportedly given an oral instruction to the residents to vacate the houses within fifteen days.

Manjunath Swamy said that the board must serve individual notices to the residents and that an oral intimation does not suffice.

He added that AAP would also fight for those who paid and did not get a house allotted to them.