The Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the State government to submit report of the Fire and Emergency Services Department on the burning of 90 huts at Sunday Bazaar slum in Kacharakanahlli in the last week of March.
Also, the court directed the government why no action was taken by officers for about a month after the incident as a First Information Report (FIR) was registered only on May 1 after a complaint was lodged by an inmate of one of the huts, which was not burnt, belonging to migrant workers from Kalaburagi district.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice E.S. Indiresh passed the order while hearing a PIL petition, which was initiated suo motu by the court on a letter written to the Chief Justice by advocate Vaishali Hegde expressing concern over the plight of inmates of the huts.
Earlier, the government counsel said that 30 huts were burnt on March 28 and another 60 huts were burnt on March 30 after inmates of the huts had gone to their native places. The police registered an FIR on May 1, and it appears that those residing in some of the huts were threatened by some persons against registering a complaint.
The government counsel also informed that three persons were arrested and it appears that some persons wanted to use this land for parking of vehicles to benefit a nearby marriage hall.
As the court was informed that the land, on which huts were put up, belongs to the Bangalore Development Authority, the bench directed the government for what purpose the land was acquired and whether any portion of the land belongs to a lake.