Eviction row: Alternative accommodation for eligible after verification, says Karnataka minister

Karnataka Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Thursday said alternate accommodation would be provided to eligible persons whose illegally constructed houses were demolished at Kogilu, after verification by multiple departments and in accordance with eligibility criteria and norms.

He said instructions had been issued to officials to provide alternative accommodation to those included in the first list of eligible beneficiaries at the earliest.

The Karnataka government had on December 29 decided to provide alternative accommodation on humanitarian grounds to ''genuine'' homeless persons whose illegally constructed houses or sheds were demolished at Kogilu.

''Regarding the provision of alternate accommodation to those whose illegally constructed houses were demolished near Kogilu, the Housing Department, Revenue Department, Greater Bengaluru Authority, and the police are verifying eligibility as per the prescribed criteria. The process is still underway,'' Gowda said.

Speaking to reporters, he said that as the complete verification process would take time, officials had been instructed to provide alternative accommodation to the first list of eligible beneficiaries as early as possible.

''The verification is still ongoing. After one stage of verification, the police and the Revenue Department are now conducting further checks. It would not be appropriate to comment while the verification process is underway,'' he added.

The demolition of houses at Waseem Layout and Fakir Colony in Kogilu on December 20 was carried out by Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited to clear encroachments for a proposed solid waste processing unit. Officials had said the structures were built without official permission and that most of the occupants were migrants from other states.

Stating that he had spoken to Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, the revenue minister said there was unanimity on proceeding only after thorough verification in line with eligibility criteria and rules.

''We do not want any rules to be bypassed in a hurry. This is a decision taken jointly by both of us. We had expected the verification to be completed by now, but it is still underway. There is no intention to exert pressure or rush the process. Once the verified list is submitted, further action will be taken,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP has criticised the government's decision to rehabilitate those whose illegally constructed houses were demolished, terming it ''appeasement politics''.

BJP leaders have accused the state government of indulging in ''Muslim appeasement,'' claiming that most of the demolished illegal houses belonged to members of the Muslim community. They also questioned the speed with which the government moved to announce rehabilitation for those accused of illegal encroachment.

They pointed out that the rehabilitation decision came after the demolition of 167 illegal houses or sheds triggered a political controversy, particularly after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the demolition at Waseem Layout and Fakir Colony as a ''brutal normalisation of the bulldozer raj''.

Following Vijayan's remarks, Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal, who is from Kerala, intervened and conveyed the AICC's serious concerns to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, stating that such demolitions should have been carried out with greater caution, sensitivity, and compassion, keeping the human impact at the centre.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)