Kogilu Layout evictions: Organisations place demand before govt. during public meeting

Multiple organisations joined hands with families who lost their homes in a demolition drive carried out by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) in Kogilu Layout, organised a public meeting on Sunday. They placed four demands before the government.

The organisations reiterated the same four demands that were submitted to the Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner earlier. The demands include permanent rehabilitation for the evicted families, issuance of property deeds or occupancy certificates to rehabilitated families, temporary arrangements for basic facilities at the demolition site, and an assurance that the evicted families will not be forced to move from the area.

Women’s, minority, and Dalit organisations participated in the public meeting-cum-protest on Sunday, mounting pressure on the government to expedite the allotment of houses to the affected families, as promised, and ensure proper rehabilitation.

Last week, Minister for Minority Welfare and Housing B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan had promised to allot sites to the displaced families on January 1. However, two deadlines have passed, and the latest one has now been pushed to Monday. The department appears to be at a crossroads, noting that the final count of ‘eligible beneficiaries’ is yet to be determined.

Pooja H.M. of Dudiyuva Janara Vedike said that an association has been formed seeking justice to the evicted families and ensure that the affected people are not stripped off basic rights. She noted that they were committed to continuing the peaceful protest until their demands were met.

Speaking at the event, CITU leader Umesh said, “Under Article 19, people have the right to live freely anywhere in the country. Branding Indians as foreigners merely because they are Muslims is unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, the government is expected to begin the process of allotting sites to the affected families after verifying documents. However, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok has condemned the government’s move to rehabilitate the affected families.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced that it would protest against what it calls “preferential treatment” to Kogilu residents. The party has asserted that the government should first allot houses to thousands of applicants under the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Scheme.

Meanwhile, Zia Nomani, programme director at a law and policy research institute, has written to the Chairman of the Karnataka State Minority Commission seeking to register a complaint against Mr. Ashok for his alleged ‘provocative’ statements in connection with the Kogilu Layout demolition issue.

He has pointed out that Mr. Ashok demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency and introduced a ‘Bangladeshi immigrants’ angle to the issue.