The residents of the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) Quarters in Ejipura are being threatened into moving out by “some goonda elements and political agents,” alleged Rajendra Prabhakar from the Dalit and Minorities Land Protection Committee.
He told The Hindu on the sidelines of a public meeting at EWS Quarters in Bangalore on Wednesday that a few local leaders had joined hands with the politicians and were now harassing the residents.
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Maverick Holdings Pvt. Ltd. for joint development of the land. While part of the land will be used to house the residents, the rest of the prime property will be commercially exploited by the developer.
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Mr. Prabhakar said there were 1,512 original allottees of whom only 300 reside there now in makeshift sheds. “Other than the original allottees, there are 1,380 other residents who have been given identity cards. As per the resolution passed in the BBMP council, they must also be accommodated in the housing complexes being planned.”
He said that the committee plans to go to court to ensure that all current residents are housed.
He alleged that the BBMP and local politicians had colluded with some local leaders to deny the residents the right to dignified housing.
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Kodihalli Chandrashekhar from Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and M. Venkataswamy from Samata Sainik Dal assured residents that they would meet with Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and apprise him of the situation.