Hyderabad: Telangana police in coordination with revenue officials on Wednesday, September 25, evicted people who allegedly encroached on 20 2BHK flats in Palakurti mandal in Jangaon district.
However, the occupants of the houses claim that former minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao had sent their names to the MRO and MPDO of Palakurthy. They added that only after a resolution was passed in the gram panchayat, 20 houses were constructed and allotted to them in 2023, under the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.
“I don’t have a house, I came here after the verification of documents by the mandal revenue officer and MD. The then minister Dayakar Rao had said the flats would be allotted following enquiries and verification.”
The lady further said that based on the minister’s instructions her documents were verified by the sarpanch at the Yellarana Thorruru village. She claimed that she only visited and began living in the flat following the verification of documents. She further added that she used to stay on the streets until recently.
According to a resident, a total of 50 houses were sanctioned for those who didn’t own a home in the village. Among them were around 20 Dalit families and 20-30 families of people belonging to the Vaddera community.
An occupant of the houses said that the SC colony was already established where the 20 houses were constructed and that they were hoping that the remaining 30 2BHK houses for the Vadderas would be constructed soon.
In October 2015, the BRS-led Telangana government made a grand announcement about Dignity Housing, a scheme to distribute two-bedroom (2BHK) houses with an aim of providing affordable and quality housing to the poor.
A total of 2.93 lakh houses were to be built by 2023 and handed over to people below the poverty line. The scheme promised to protect people who wanted to own a house from falling into debt traps.
“During the previous elections, BRS workers approached me, stating that I would get a double bedroom flat if the BRS won. Similarly, Congress workers this time approached me promising the same, hence I voted for the Congress in the hope of getting a house,” said an occupant, urging authorities to visit the village and witness the living conditions of the homeless.
Another woman who was evicted from the house informed the media that there was no water connection to those houses, and they had been fetching water from across the road. This could indicate that the houses constructed were not ready for allotment yet.
She expressed her displeasure over the state government neither giving 2bhk houses nor giving them money to construct houses on vacant lands.
