Kogilu demolition: Only 29 families may get houses

Only 29 families retired of an initial estimate of 145, arsenic pegged by the Housing Corporation during the past survey, volition person houses successful the archetypal signifier of rehabilitation pursuing the Kogilu demolition, which razed much than 160 houses successful Fakir Colony and parts of Waseem Layout successful Yelahanka connected December 20. The constricted fig of beneficiaries and the deficiency of clarity regarding the criteria person prompted objections from displaced residents.

A elder authoritative from the Housing Department told The Hindu that the database of 29 beneficiaries includes families who person been surviving successful the country for nearly 17 years as good arsenic others who moved successful arsenic precocious arsenic 7 months ago.

Meanwhile, a elder authoritative from the Housing Corporation added that each eligible mediocre families tin use for lodging nether the Ashraya Yojana, and that the Ashraya Committee takes a last telephone connected allotments based connected documents submitted, but galore from Fakir Colony and surrounding areas person not applied nether the scheme.

Displaced families question

Representatives of the displaced families, however, person questioned this, pointing retired that outer imagery from 7 months anterior showed lone tiny h2o bodies successful parts of the country present listed for rehabilitation. They reason that long-settled households should person been prioritised over much caller occupants.

Of the much than 165 families displaced, lone 29 were called to Hajj Bhavan recently, wherever they met elder officials from the Housing and Minority Welfare Departments and submitted bank passbooks, domicile, income, and caste certificates, ration cards, Aadhaar, and elector ID cards. Several different displaced families said they possess the aforesaid documents but were neither surveyed decently nor called for verification, with nary mentation for their exclusion.

NGO representatives and slum leaders person alleged irregularities successful the enactment process. According to them, astatine slightest 9 of the 29 beneficiaries are closely linked to an intermediary, to whom they allegedly paid astir ₹2 lakh each to unafraid houses successful the area.  

Representatives have also submitted a database of what they accidental are eligible households to Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda and person sought clarification from the Housing Corporation connected the eligibility criteria. They maintain that galore families excluded from the survey conscionable each documentary requirements and should person been considered.