The newly allotted apartments for the inhabitants of Belur Ambedkar nagar slums in Marathahalli are uninhabitable.
Residents of Belur Ambedkar Nagar complain that the allocated apartments they are getting from the Karnataka Slum development board as a part of the resettlement plan is uninhabitable.
By Shakeb Zuber
Date-4th September,2019|Bengaluru|3:53PM
Resident complains that the apartment lacks the basic amenities like electricity and water supply, whose supply; it seems according them, nowhere close into getting as most of them are shifting there next week. The newly allocated apartment at Marathahalli is claimed by the residents of Belur Ambedkar Nagar to be ‘unfit to live in’. The residents complains mostly about the lack of basic amenities like water supply and electricity which they don’t see any scope of getting it within a month ,a time period that is allotted to them after passing the Non objection certificate and availing the tokens given for the flat. Residents also complain about the ambience and surroundings which are full of garbage piled up and also that the place has no proper roads leading towards the apartment. Moreover the cracks in the walls and floor of the building as well as the rooms are quite visible.
“Where the new apartment was constructed, we asked them to provide roads and street lights but without doing that they are planning to shift us. There is a crack and moulds in the wall of the building” says Mr Bhagya Lakshmi who is an Aganbadi teacher from Ambedkar Nagar.Mr Krishnappa who is an Assistant chief Executive Engineer for Karnataka Slum Development board states that ‘’Flats in Marathahalli provide all basic facilities like bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, water supply etc..By next week the majority of the slum dwellers will shift to Marathahalli except for 80 members who have filed a petition in the court.” Slum Development board took the initiative to build the apartments for the slum dwellers after getting the affirmation from the state government 15 years ago as Jawahar Lal Nehru housing scheme and it was only 5 years ago that the building was completed.The Non objection certificate was given to the residents just a month ago ,there is also a claim made by the residents that they are threatened to take the tokens over the fear of losing both their house in Ambedkar Nagar as well as in Marathahalli.
The Belur Ambedkar Nagar residents still suffers the crisis of losing the place they have been part of since decades, there is also a fear of living in a settlement where there is threat of security and lack of basic amenities, still the residents fights for the survival of their identity and a lot will depend on the future course of action which slum development board will take in order to meet the demand of the people.
