The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a
notice to Chief Secretary S.V. Ranganath on the forced eviction of
residents of Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) shanty town by the
Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in Ejipura in January this
year.

A communiqué received here on Monday said that
the NHRC has taken cognisance of a media report, forwarded by
non-governmental organisations, alleging serious health problems being
faced by about 2,000 people who were evicted.

Report sought

The
Chief Secretary has been directed to submit a report within four weeks
on the eviction, steps taken to rehabilitate the evicted people, besides
informing the commission about the steps taken to provide basic
amenities such as food, drinking water, sanitation and health facilities
upholding the evictees’ human rights.

The NHRC noted
that 200 evicted families have made their temporary homes on the
periphery of the area from where they were ousted. “They have not been
provided with any basic facilities. Diarrheal diseases, infections and
other forms of water and air-borne diseases are rampant. There are no
proper water, sanitation and toilet facilities,” it has said.

The commission had taken cognisance of the forced eviction and harassment of victims by police.

A
notice was issued to the Chief Secretary and Director-General and
Inspector-General of Police early this year and the issue is under
consideration.

Meanwhile, a fact-finding report by
the People’s Union for Civil Liberties – Karnataka, and Housing and Land
Rights Network – Delhi, found that the human rights of the urban poor
had been violated. The government and its agencies have breached the
Constitution, national laws and policies, orders of the Supreme Court
and international law, including the UN Basic Principles and Guidelines
on Development-based Evictions and Displacement.

Illegal land use

The report, a copy of which is with
The Hindu
, notes that the public-private partnership between the BBMP and
Maverick Holdings is illegal because the land that was designated for
“public purpose”, namely housing for economically weaker sections, has
been converted into commercial use for the gain of a private entity. The
BBMP has flouted its own resolution (passed in 2005) recognising the
rights of the residents to permanent housing and assured them of
in-situ
resettlement.

The demands

The
fact-finding team has demanded that the government recognise and uphold
the “right to the city” of the urban poor — who contribute to the city —
as their inalienable right, besides ordering a judicial enquiry into
the evictions, demolitions and public-private partnership. The
government should also provide immediate and adequate rehabilitation to
all the evicted residents, irrespective of whether they are original
allottees or tenants. The other demands include compensation to all
victims, dissolve the illegal public-private partnership, and take
action against BBMP and police officials responsible for the violence
and attack on residents and activists.