13 yrs after vacating slums, families yet to get houses

Promises unkept

Residents of Dr BR Ambedkar Nagar display the biometric cards issued by the Karnataka Slum Development Board; (right) the community hall and government school that came up in place of the shacks. DH PHOTOS/SANDESH MS 

Thirteen years after evicting 74 families from Dr BR Ambedkar Nagar to make space for common amenities, the Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB) is yet to provide them housing as promised.

KSDB vacated the families from the shacks in 2006 to build a school, a community hall, public toilets and a bus stand.

Though the agency built more than a thousand houses for the slum dwellers in 2017 in the same locality, it did not allocate them to the vacated families. Eight months ago, the families occupied the houses, having seen them empty for nearly two years, and hoped to get the title deed from KSDB later.

Now, KSDB officials are threatening to relocate them once again. “The KSDB engineer came with police officials last week and ordered us out in a week,” said Selvi, a resident. “They threatened to force us out if we don’t vacate.”

She said the residents have the KSDB-issued biometric cards and families have also borrowed money to put up doors and windows and undertake other interior works. “There are patients suffering from heart ailments and physically challenged people here. A few are bedridden also. We are spending sleepless nights for the past one week (fearing eviction),” Selvi said.

‘Will fight it out’

Members of the Karnataka Slum Dwellers Federation said KSDB had allotted houses for a few families, besides which there are also illegal occupants in the locality without the biometric cards.

“In 2006, KSDB officials asked us to convince these families to agree for relocation,” said Mari, vice-chairman, Karnataka Slum Dwellers Federation. “They finished building the houses after nearly 11 years. But now, they are planning to relocate us from here.

“I don’t know who’ll get the allocation, but the houses here are meant for these families and we’ll fight for them,” Mari said.

KSDB admitted to the delay in the allocation process and assured it will not relocate anyone.

“The title deed for those with a biometric card is ready with us and we’ll distribute them by next week. None of them will be relocated,” an engineer associated with the project confirmed to DH.