4 years after eviction, most EWS slum-dwellers remain homeless: Survey

Bengaluru: Jyothi was in the third trimester of pregnancy on January 18, 2013 when her house at EWS quarters in Ejipura was razed down by the BBMP. Her life was thrown into turmoil and she had a harrowing time finding public toilets as the community toilet too was demolished.

While Ayesha, another woman, delivered the baby on a footpath . “When Ayesha developed labour pain, she didn’t even get an ambulance. I was shocked to see her condition. We have faced many problems after being thrown out of our houses,” said Jyothi. Like her, hundreds of families are still living on footpaths and in temporary sheds.

On Saturday, organizations such as Forum Against EWS Land Grab, Fields View and Housing and Land Rights Network released a survey report, ‘Bengaluru’s continuing equity’. Its an eviction impact assessment of Ejipura, Koramangala, four years after demolition.

Releasing the report, Violet Mary, a homeless senior citizen, said: “I was working as a domestic help earlier, but can’t work now due to old age. I lost my home and every meal has been a struggle.”

As many as 110 persons who had lived in

EWS slum

were interviewed. The survey covers various aspects of their life after the eviction. “A child who had gone to school in the morning was shocked to see his house being demolished when he returned in the evening. A woman told us that she didn’t know why she was alive. They are still waiting for houses which is their legitimate right,” said Issac Arul Selva of Slum Jagatthu.

M R Prabhakar from Forum Against EWS Land Grab said the eviction also resulted in many children dropping out of schools. “Women and children risked their life living on streets. The government’s policies are anti-poor. The slum land should belong to people living in the slum and not for a commercial project. What we are facing now is modern-day slavery which is against the Constitution,” he rued.

Dr Sylviya Karpagam, public health expert, who treated many evicted slum-dwellers during January 2013, said the eviction led to public health hazards. “Many senior citizens lost their regular medicine and prescriptions when their houses were demolished. Women reduced their water intake as they could not leave their belongings on street each time they had to answer nature’s calls. There’s a rise in malaria and dengue cases ,” she said.

Prof Y J Rajendra, president, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, said the report must reach the government. “ Why has the BBMP not given them homes yet? It’s a human rights violation,” he said.


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