BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition R Ashoka visited the demolished Kogilu slum on Wednesday, and interacted with some dwellers. He asked them how long they had been staying at Fakir Layout.
Ashoka demanded that NIA should take up investigation into the slum settlement. “The government should verify the citizenship of illegal residents, and investigated by NIA. These places are at risk of becoming sleeper cells,” he told the media. With Bangladesh burning, people have entered the country via West Bengal. “Karnataka will become like Bengal in future, so citizenship should be verified, and should be done without putting pressure on officials. If officials create fake documents, they will get caught and have to face investigation,” he warned.
Objecting to claims by dwellers that they were residing here for 25 years, Ashoka said there were no houses on Google Maps one year ago. “No one has an identity card. In Bengaluru, encroachments have been cleared from 150-200 acres. Is it possible to build houses for all those displaced? DCM DK Shivakumar has not even visited the sites,” he said.
The Siddaramaiah government has cheated Kannadigas and created mini Bangladesh in Karnataka. There is no land for agriculture anywhere. Before we arrived, a leader named Waseem sent residents outside, and Kannada-speaking people were brought here from surrounding areas like Tippu Nagar. Minister Zameer Ahmed’s secretary Sarfaraz Khan has threatened officials to record all people here as locals, Ashoka alleged.
Illegal power connections
Alleging that Fakir Layout is lit up with illegal power connections, Ashoka said 4lakh people in Karnataka live without electricity, but expensive cables have been installed here to provide electricity. “Bescom officials who provided this facility should feel ashamed. Meters have not been installed. If a fire accident occurs and someone dies, they will give compensation again,” he said.