People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has demanded that those evicted from the Baina beach in 2004 and those who have not received any benefits, under the 2005 rehabilitation scheme for commercial sex workers and other residential and commercial establishments as per the directions of the Goa Bench of Bombay High Court, need to be provided these benefits immediately. It further said on Tuesday here that similar scheme benefits must be made available to the 75 families evicted.
Baina beach slum has been notified as a declared slum and these residents are entitled to their constitutional safeguards, said national secretary of the union V. Laxminarayana. Advocate Sheela Ramnathan argued that besides being economically disadvantaged, the evictees were also socially disadvantaged since they belong to sections of Dalit communities, who have been notified as belonging to the SCs\STs categories by various State governments.
Questioning the eviction of 75 families and the proposed eviction of 207 more, the union has pointed out that the State government had provided these residents with civic amenities like water supply and electricity, collected house taxes, and has further provided them with statutory identity through the issuance of Adhar card, ration card and voters’ ID. These documents, it said, were proof that these houses were legal structures and it was unfortunate that the government issued eviction orders to these residents.
75 families have already been evicted
