HC rebukes slum board for not giving homes to needy

The high court has pulled up the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board for disobeying its orders on temporarily rehabilitating slum dwellers of Hosakerehalli, Banashankari 3rd Stage.

Twenty-one families, comprising children, pregnant women and disabled persons, were evicted from their huts by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) as the land was meant for a park.

The Abhaya Welfare Federation, an NGO, petitioned the court, seeking the rehabilitation of the families. On October 30, 2018, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari ordered the slum development board to temporarily rehabilitate the families in Bhuvaneshwari Nagar. The board, however, failed to comply with the order.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the board's counsel claimed that the delay was caused by the laying of drainage pipelines in the identified area in Bhuvaneshwari Nagar.

Not pleased with the reply, the court demanded what was the board doing all these days. "This is a serious issue and the board has neglected it," the bench stated, adding that it would summon the board's commissioner on Wednesday and issue a contempt of court notice.

The court later ordered the board to settle the issue on Wednesday when it would hear the matter again.