No relief, no rehab a week after demolition in Bengaluru, say activists

Bengaluru: More than a week after a demolition drive uprooted over 400 families near Yelahanka, the Karnataka government is yet to announce any immediate relief or a rehabilitation package, activists working with the displaced have alleged, even as people continue to live under the open sky in the city's harsh winter. 

“There has been nothing from day one till now - no immediate relief, no rehabilitation package, nothing,” Nandini, an activist associated with Dhudiyuva Janara Vedike, which has been coordinating relief efforts at the site tells DH. 

The demolition drive was carried out by the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) on December 20 in Waseem layout and Fakeer colony in North Bengaluru. This left families without shelter, forcing many to erect temporary tents using tarpaulin sheets. 

“Bengaluru is biting cold at night and early morning, and then very warm during the day. People, including children and the elderly, are living completely exposed to these conditions,” Nandini said.

Civil society steps in

In the absence of official relief, a range of civil society groups, NGOs, Left parties and trade unions have stepped in to provide food, blankets and other essentials. “At present, it is individuals and organisations who are ensuring people’s immediate needs are met. Without them, the situation would have been far worse,” says Isaac Amruthraj, state president, Slum Janara Sanghatane. 

Activists and residents met Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, seeking urgent intervention. 

According to Nandini, the Minister said the land currently falls under the GBA and that efforts would be made to transfer it back to the Revenue Department to facilitate relocation. “He told us rehabilitation could take three to six months. Until then, he said people could continue living in the same open area with tarpaulin sheets and tents,” she said.

Earlier, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar had said that the Government would provide housing elsewhere to those found “eligible” under the Rajiv Gandhi housing scheme. Shivakumar told reporters on Saturday that whoever lives in Karnataka with valid documents will be provided the necessary support and that he had instructed officials about the same. 

However, activists stress that nothing has been issued in writing. “The government can say anything to the public or to the media. But unless it comes as a circular or a written order, nothing will happen on the ground,” Nandini said.

Tensions flared again on Friday, when GBA officials arrived to fence off the land. Residents and activists opposed the move, insisting that no fencing or takeover should be allowed until rehabilitation is assured.