A day after a housing block came crashing down, killing two and critically injuring two other residents, grief and despair continued to envelop the EWS quarters at Ejipura.

A posse of policemen kept vigil as residents, amid narrating their woeful tales, pointed an accusing finger at the BBMP for not constructing sheds in time and relocating residents to safer places.

“The BBMP made false promises of alternative accommodation four days ago. Only makeshift pandals have been put-up. How do we stay at tents in the cold nights and wet weather?” asks Akbar, a resident of the quarters.
An auto driver by profession, Akbar hasn’t taken out his auto for the past two days, fearing for the lives of his family. “I’ve not earned a single paisa ever since BBMP issued eviction notices. I’ve to support my wife and 2-year-old child,” he adds.


       
                                                                               
                                 

This is not the first time that Ejipura has seen such mishaps. Here is the dossier: *November 2003: Block 13 caves in: No casualties * August 2004: Six unsafe blocks demolished * July 2007: Block 2 collapses, killing two

                                 
                                                                  
                                                                     

In the lurch
Says Babu, pointing to the vacant housing blocks and belongings of residents that lay scattered outside their homes: “Two chief ministers have visited us in the past four years and promised us new housing blocks, but nothing has happened. We are left in the lurch.”

Vijay and Subramani, daily wagers who have vacated the 11th block at EWS, say “water seeps through walls, making the structure unstable. Lives of scores of women and children are at stake. With the loose soil beneath, it could collapse any time now.” Hundreds of people at Ejipura now dread venturing into the dilapidated structures of what once provided a roof over their heads.

Meanwhile, the BBMP distributed food packets to the desperate homeless who were seen thronging the mobile ‘Prahari’ vans.

BBMP in action mode
The BBMP on Thursday levelled land at Ejipura with mud bought from Hoskote to facilitate construction of more temporary sheds to relocate residents.To ensure that the dwellers do not go back, it cut off power supply to the dilapidated block.

BBMP Joint Commissioner Nagaraj, who oversaw rehabilitation works, said 11 blocks have been identified as most dangerous. “We’ll relocate 12 families from each block as soon as possible to the sheds. Heavy rains have led to damp soil. Our men are on the job to complete the task soon,” he said.

BBMP sources, while admitting to the sub-standard construction of the housing quarters, say the then City Corporation constructed the blocks with Hudco loans in the 1990s. “It is obvious that the contractors hadn’t used even any pillars. But the occupants are also to blame for poor maintenance. Sanitary pipes have been removed or stolen and sewage water was let out from the blocks into the ground, weakening the foundation. The heavy rains did the rest,” BBMP engineers note.

JNNURM funds
The Palike now plans to seek JNNURM funds from the Centre to construct new houses, or else the PPP model would be adopted. “The Palike’s approach is to utilise the Basic Urban Services Plan (BUSP) of the Mission that accords priority to the urban poor. Under this, the Centre would contribute 90 per cent of funds and the BMMP the rest,” sources said.

BBMP, “to avoid mistakes committed last time”, has already distributed bio-metric identity cards to dwellers for allotment of new flats that would be constructed.  

Did allottees make way for illegal occupants?
DH News Service, Bangalore: Are the allottees of the EWS complex protesting too much?

They reportedly vacated the housing block long back, after “entering into an unholy nexus with EWS Residential Welfare Association office-bearers”, and gave the houses on rent to illegal occupants. Now, after the incident, “they have joined the mourning and crying foul against the BBMP!,” according to many people who spoke to Deccan Herald.

S M Pasha, an allottee, says the then CMs -- S M Krishna and Dharam Singh --visited the area and promised to construct new houses, but their promise remained on paper. A majority of the residents are illegal occupants, he alleges. “Interestingly, the welfare association office is also housed in the same area, next to the block which caved on Wednesday night.”

But say two occupants, Babu and Ijaz: “We are paying monthly rents between Rs 500 and 1000, depending on the size of the houses. While some of the owners collect rent once a year, many do it regularly.”

‘Palike suspect’
However, EWS Residential Welfare Association president D Anand Kumar said none was collecting rent. “B T Ramesh, corporator from the area, has not done anything to improve situation. BBMP has constructed 500 temporary sheds for 36 houses at a cost of Rs 65 lakh. If BBMP is ready to construct new houses, why did it erect all these sheds? Large-scale irregularities have taken place,” he alleged.

“What happened on Wednesday night could have been averted had the BBMP provided alternative places. Where shall we go now? The government is still in a state of deep slumber even after the collapse of three blocks in the area,” says Suganthi, who stays next to the block that collapsed.

“Officials cleaned the area using earth-movers only three days back,” notes Shanmugam, another resident.

LEGAL TANGLE
The then City Corporation constructed 1,512 flats (42 blocks) during 1987-92 for people of EWS at Ejipura. Later, it prepared a new plan to reconstruct 1,640 flats after demolishing the existing housing blocks. A competitive bidding plan to select a firm, with Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (IDeCK) as consultants, was approved.

An Expression of Interest was called in October 2004, and three out of the 21 bidders were accepted; that of, Akruti Nirman, Maverick Holdings & Investments, and IDEB Projects.

Later, IDeCK declared Akruti Nirman selected. But, on October 31, 2006, a Palike council resolution okayed Maverick’s proposal. The other firms moved court, leading to a legal tangle that continues to this day.