Tension prevailed at the Traffic Training Institute (TTI) here on Friday as the slum dwellers opposed construction of the institute’s boundary wall not heeding to the assurance of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena on their rehabilitation and welfare measures.
According to Odisha Basti Sangharsha Samiti President Pratap Sahoo, the administration had evicted a total of 52 slum dwellers of Haladipadia slum who were staying at the TTI’s campus since June 22 last. later the BMC had provided ten polythene sheets to the evicted slum dwellers.
“At that time, it was decided that till the completion of the BMC managed transit home, the slum dwellers will take shelter inside the TTI campus. Unfortunately, the institute authorities along with the laxmisagar police are now using force to evict them and have started construction work of the boundary wall,” alleged Sahoo. When the dwellers opposed the eviction move, police used force against them, he lamented.
Sahoo informed that the agitating slum dwellers would again stage a demonstration in front of the office of the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on Saturday.
Earlier on Thursday, the slum dwellers had staged demonstration in front of the OHRC office urging the commission to intervene in the matter.
The protestors demanded proper rehabilitation for the 52 families displaced due to the demolition drive conducted by the BMC, BDA and General Administration (GA) Department. They had submitted a memorandum to the OHRC Chairperson urging him to take action against departmental officials for demolishing the houses by misusing their power and without following due procedure.