Citing humanitarian grounds, the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said officials had been instructed to identify eligible families who lost shelter and submit a list within two days.
The Karnataka government on Monday said it would allot alternative housing to families displaced by the demolition of homes during an anti-encroachment drive in Kogilu village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, following public criticism of the operation, Maktoob Media reported.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar defended the demolitions, saying the structures were illegal and built on government land, and that due process had been followed.
Siddaramaiah said the sheds in Kogilu were removed on December 20 after notices were issued, adding that the land belonged to the government and had been earmarked for public purposes.
“At the same time, it is impossible for such illegal settlements to come up without the knowledge of local Revenue and municipal officials,” Siddaramaiah said. He said strict action had been ordered against concerned tahsildars, shirastedars and officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
He warned that if government land is encroached upon again, accountability would lie with officials responsible for preventing such violations.
Citing humanitarian grounds, the chief minister said officials had been instructed to identify eligible families who lost shelter and submit a list within two days. He said the decision to provide alternative housing was taken after consultations with Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar, Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan and the local legislator.
Under the plan, families will be relocated to government-built housing in Baiyappanahalli, about 7 km from Kogilu. Siddaramaiah said around 1,087 houses are available at the site, each costing about 1.12 million rupees. General category beneficiaries will receive subsidies of up to 870,000 rupees, while SC/ST beneficiaries will receive up to 950,000 rupees, with the remaining amount to be covered through a small loan.
“Let me be clear: though the sheds were illegal, alternative housing is being provided purely on humanitarian grounds,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that the decision was specific to this case.
He said the government had built one lakh houses to provide shelter to the poor but reiterated that encroachment of public land would not be allowed and officials facilitating such acts would face consequences.
Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan has been tasked with completing verification and ensuring that eligible families can move into the houses from January 1, the chief minister said.
The announcement came on the same day Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar visited Fakir Colony in Kogilu, days after hundreds of structures were demolished in what officials described as an anti-encroachment drive. During the visit, residents told him they had lived in the area for decades. Many of the affected families are from the Muslim community.
Shivakumar said the land had been notified by the government around nine to ten years ago for a solid waste management unit and posed health risks. He said multiple notices had been issued before the demolition and rejected allegations that the action targeted any particular community.
“This land was allocated by the government about 9–10 years ago for the solid waste management unit. However, some individuals encroached upon this government land and constructed sheds, and notices were issued multiple times as well,” Shivakumar said.
“Subsequently, our officials carried out the demolition operation. This matter has already come to the attention of the local legislator.”
He added that the chief minister had already held meetings to discuss compensation and rehabilitation for eligible beneficiaries and said no injustice would be done to the poor who qualified for assistance. Shivakumar also said legal action would be taken against those who illegally sold or allotted government land.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar criticised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for calling the demolitions “bulldozer raj” and anti-Muslim, accusing him of making political statements without understanding the facts and of interfering in Karnataka’s affairs.
Earlier, Vijayan had condemned the demolition of Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout, saying it displaced Muslim families who had lived there for years and amounted to the “brutal normalisation of bulldozer raj.” He alleged that anti-minority politics was being pursued under a Congress-led government and urged secular forces to oppose such actions.
The demolitions were carried out in the early hours of December 20 in Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout in Kogilu village near Yelahanka. Officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority, backed by heavy police deployment, began the operation around 4 a.m., using multiple earthmovers and deploying nearly 150 police personnel.
Residents said they had lived in the area for 20 to 30 years, held identity documents such as Aadhaar and voter cards, and had participated in elections. Many said they were not served notices before the demolitions.
Families, including elderly residents and children, were left without shelter, food or water, residents said, alleging they were not allowed to remove belongings before the demolitions and that household items were destroyed. Some said electricity and internet services had been disconnected a day earlier.
Officials said the structures were unauthorised and built on government land near a pond adjacent to an Urdu government school, and alleged that many residents had migrated from outside the state. Residents rejected the claim, saying they had lived in Kogilu for decades.