In a first, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has decided to compensate 10 families from J.D. Mara slum on Bannerghatta Road with 1BHK flats. The corporation is acquiring the land on which the families have hutments for Phase II of Namma Metro.
For Phase I, the BMRCL had built residential apartments for slum-dwellers in lieu of acquiring their land.
The flats will be purchased from the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) at Alur on Tumakuru Road at a cost of ₹11 lakh for each unit. These flats are part of apartments built by BDA for people from economically weaker sections of society.
The 10 families were identified by the Indian Institute of Management Bengaluru (IIMB), which had prepared a rehabilitation action plan for the Gottigere–Nagawara metro line.
“A portion of the land in the declared slum is required to build the entry point to a metro station. The identified families do not have title deeds. However, as per the rehabilitation plan, the BMRCL has decided to give them residential flats,” said Channappa Goudar, General Manager (Land Acquisition), BMRCL.
Before buying the flats, the families were taken to residential sites at Alur. “Some of the families have given their consent,” he said.
A BDA official said, “We had built 1,500 1BHK flats at Alur and all of them were sold. The BMRCL had purchased 10 houses.”
To build the elevated line of Gottigere to Nagwara, the BMRCL has identified 251 properties. It has deposited ₹539 crore with KIADB to acquire 212 properties. Compensation amounting to ₹401 crore has been paid to acquire 178 properties along the line.
Not all are happy
Not all the affected families have agreed to the solution proposed by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL), and expressed unhappiness with the location of the flats and the distance from their source of income.
K. Ananthaiah, whose house has been identified for acquisition, said, “We have been living in this slum for over 30 years. The metro people have identified not only my house but also my artisan workshop for the metro station. They are not ready to give monetary compensation. Instead, they are saying that they will give me a flat in a faraway place.”
He is worried about his livelihood if he relocates from the J.D. Mara slum to Alur.
Another resident, R.P. Dhanraj, pointed out that more than 2,000 houses are located in the slum. “People are struggling to get basic amenities. During every election, politicians come here and seek votes, and then forget about us. More than the Metro network, we need better sanitation facilities, drinking water, street lights and roads.”