“Where do we go now?” The question seemed to reverberate across Banaswadi as bulldozers and policemen spread across the area to recover encroached land. It was 20 years ago that Lalitha, who now works as a domestic help, exhausted her savings to buy a small plot of land near Aiyappa temple at Banaswadi.
“My husband is unemployed. I have two small children too. Where do we find shelter now?” she said between tears.
While many houses were demolished, others were marked for demolition on Saturday. Among those left in the turmoil of uncertainty is Manoj Swaminathan, whose entire house was marked. He says he has been running from pillar to post in government offices to prove his house in the BDA layout was not an encroachment.
ADVERTISEMENT
“After the notice in December, we have had at least nine hearings in the tahsildhar’s court. No orders have been passed, and yet our house has been marked… No one has told us clearly when they will come for demolition,” he said.
Though tempers were raised during the demolition, and a few citizens resolved to stay in their house, the sight of houses being brought down eventually struck fear among the residents. “There were arguments with the police, but once the bulldozers started to tear down nearby houses, people came out. Their luggage was thrown out into the streets… the police had a difficult time managing a large crowd that came to see the demolition,” said Manjunath, a resident of the area.