Just a few kilometres from Vidhana Soudha, Ejipura with its large, smelly storm water drain, was largely ignored for years, with the people who once occupied the quarters for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) here forced to live in make-shift sheds after some of the housing blocks came tumbling down. The BBMP, which seemed in no hurry to provide these poor people new homes, has now decided that along with new apartments for them, it will build a mega mall and parking complex in Ejipura, now seen as prime property, on a public-private partnership basis with Maverick Holdings Pvt. Ltd. The only problem is the people of Ejipura are unwilling to leave, afraid that if they do they may never get back their claim to the property.
Also many are unwilling to move 30 kms away, to live near Anekal, while their new homes in Ejipura get ready, as they work in the city. Not surprisingly there was chaos on Monday at Ejipura as they resisted eviction. Hundreds of angry residents, members of the Samata Sanik Dal (SSD), and the Dalit and Minorities Land Protection Forum (DMLPF) took to the streets demanding that the BBMP withdraw its eviction order. Said SSD state president, M. Venkateswamy “Homeless Dalits and minorities have been living in sub-human conditions since 2007 amidst the garbage the BBMP has been dumping here. Besides the original Ejipura dwellers, there are now as many as 110 below poverty line families from Samata Nagar and 97 families from Marenahalli living here. Why should the BBMP now want to allow a private party to build a shopping complex in an area meant for the homeless?”
Accusing Maverick Holdings of planning to take over land allotted to the Dallits, Mr. Venkatswamy said, “The agreement between the BBMP and Maverick Holdings and Investments Pvt. Ltd. is biased. The BBMP had no right to enter into it without the consent of the original allottees.”
Both he and other residents demanded that Deputy Chief Minister R. Ashoka come to Ejipura and resolve the situation. Meanwhile, coordinator of the Dalit and Minority Land Protection Forum, R Prabhakar, said it had approached the Supreme Court on behalf of the Ejipura residents to make sure their rights were protected.