The Times of India                20.05.2013

Corp offers Rs 2 lakh each to 28 families

KOCHI: The city corporation has expressed its willingness to provide financial assistance to families that have encroached on old railway station land near the Kerala high court. Mayor Tony Chammany has offered Rs 2 lakh each for 28-odd families to construct houses. "But the revenue department will have to provide land for their resettlement. We have also sought assistance from MLA Hibi Eden to identify land for rehabilitation," he said.

The railways had recently asked the corporation to relocate 28 families that have illegally constructed houses on railway land after announcing a Rs100-crore plan to convert the old station into a terminal.

The railways said eviction was required for renovating the station.

A Kerala high court order had, earlier, asked authorities to rehabilitate all families to be evicted for the purpose. Chammany said that even though land was identified for rehabilitation in the past, the families were not ready to relocate. Meanwhile, railways alleged that the local body was going slow on the rehabilitation plan.

"It is the responsibility of the local body to rehabilitate the families. But they have not taken any steps for the same. The corporation says the families were unwilling to locate though they had identified land for rehabilitation," a railway official said.

The railways had recently removed around 20 makeshift shops from the railway land and given a 20-day notice to families to demolish temporary structures.

But such structures have not been demolished yet. The railways were also unable to take any steps in this direction as there was opposition from various quarters.