The Hindu 12.06.2013
Ready to give houses to 148 illegal Ejipura occupants, BBMP tells court
As many as 148 persons found residing illegally in the
quarters allotted to 1,512 identified persons at the Economically Weaker
Section (EWS) quarters at Ejipura will be provided with alternative
housing elsewhere, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) told
the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday.
The civic
authority’s counsel gave this assurance during the hearing of a public
interest litigation (PIL) petition, filed by some of the illegal
residents before the quarters were demolished due to substandard quality
of construction. The petitioners sought a direction to the BBMP to
allot quarters for them also in the facility under construction, as is
being done in case of the 1,512 original allottees.
“The
BBMP has identified five acres to house these 148 illegal occupants,”
BBMP’s counsel told a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D.H.
Waghela and Justice B.V. Nagarathna.
However, counsel
refused to accept the petitioners’ claim there were 1,101 illegal
occupants. “The BBMP had found only 148 in the quarters before they were
demolished.”
‘How is it a PIL?’
Meanwhile,
the Bench asked petitioners’ counsel how their plea can be treated as a
PIL when they were espousing their private interest and not a public
cause.
As their counsel claimed there were 1,101
illegal occupants, the Bench told him each one will have come on record
with necessary proof for their claim and adjourned further hearing to
June 26.
The BBMP is constructing new apartment
complex of 1,512 flats through a public-private-partnership project with
Maverick Holdings and Investments Pvt. Ltd.
Mayor election row
The
State government on Tuesday sought a week to file its statement on a
petition filed by two BBMP councillors challenging reservation of
mayor’s post for the General category for the 2013-14 tenure.
Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das granted time after government counsel sought time for filing statement.
Councillors
Varalakshmi J. and Noor Jahan, representing Marathahalli and
Kushalnagar wards respectively, challenged the second notification
issued on February 8 changing the reservation to the General category
from the General (Woman) category.
