BANGALORE: Around 150 residents of HRBR Layout, who have received eviction notices from Bangalore East taluk tahsildar’s office, are gearing up to stage a protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence soon.
According to taluk officials, they have built their their houses on the land encroached upon by private parties and BDA.
“We will protest till our last breath. For many of us, our homes are all we have left,” D S Rajashekhar, executive president of the Bangalore North East Residents Welfare Association, said.
The taluk officials have claimed that around 14 acres 27 guntas of land has been encroached from Banaswadi lake.
“Based on a Supreme Court directive, we are committed to clearing all encroachments on the lake. A total of 17 acres and 26 gunta land has been encroached (upon), out of which the land encroached by non-BDA owners is around three acres,” tahsildar Dr Harish said.
The BDA could not be reached for comment despite several attempts.
The residents are now afraid that they would be forced to give up their dream homes. “There are people who have built their houses 28 years ago. The site was conceptualised during (CM) Ramakrishna Hegde’s time and all formalities were completed. These notices threatening us of criminal proceedings and calling us encroachers came out of the blue and surprised us. No where is the area listed as a former lake,” said Rajashekhar.
He is one of those who have received the eviction notice. “We are living here for many years. We do not want to relocate. We want our homes to be regularised. We have been assured by Home Minister K J George that BDA site allottees will not be evicted,” he said.
George reportedly is going to conduct a joint inspection of the area along with the Advocate General soon.
In the meantime, the protest against eviction seems set to intensify.
“We have met the BDA Commissioner with our MLA (George) and (Bangalore Central) MP P C Mohan. It is a question of 130 families. Many (house) owners are old and this is their only shelter. Where will they go (if they are evicted)?” Rajashekhar questioned.