The Hindu : Karnataka News : Fear, uncertainty grip them

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Monday, Jun 30, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Fear, uncertainty grip them

Sudipto Mondal

Foundation of house collapses in Kulai rehabilitation colony

‘Sinking of land may have led
to the collapse’
Colony being developed by MSEZL

— Photo: SUDIPTO MONDAL

Dreams fall flat: What is left of the foundation of a house that collapsed at the rehabilitation colony in Kulai in Mangalore.

KULAI/MANGALORE: The foundation of the very first house that was being built at the Kulai rehabilitation colony has collapsed. The colony is being developed by the Mangalore Special Economic Zone Ltd (MSEZL) for the people who have been displaced by the first phase of the project.

The foundation of the house of Mohan Bhandary (43), agriculturist, cracked and fell apart even as a part of land on the adjoining plot caved in. The contractors and engineers at the site said, on the condition of anonymity, that the ripple effect caused by the sinking of land is might be the reason behind the collapse of the foundation.

I.S.N. Prasad, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of MSEZL, said: “We will henceforth be more careful”. He said there used to be a large well at the spot where the land had sunk.

The engineers, who excavated the plot, had found that the previous owner of the land had filled up the well with loose rubble, he added.

Although Mr. Bhandary heaved a sigh of relief when the company agreed to compensate the loss sustained by him, the incident has stoked fears among the people, who are next in line.

“What if the same thing happens to me after I construct a house and start living in it? Will the company reimburse me for any loss of life,” Prakash Poojary, who has lost 11 acres of land to the project, asked.

The incident, however, appears to have not surprised the displaced people. They had initially objected to the choice of the 100-acre rehabilitation site. They contended that quarrying was taking place on the site.

The Samyukta Hitarakshana Samiti, which had held parleys with the company on behalf of the displaced farmers, had conceded to the choice of land after an assurance by the MSEZL that the land would be levelled by using heavy-duty pounding machines and the latest engineering technology.

The legal adviser of the samiti, Krishna Rao, is now rueing the choice made by his organisation. Mr. Prasad allayed the fears of the people by stating that the engineers did not know about the well there. “As for the quarries, we know where they are and steps will be taken to fill them up in a scientific manner,” he added. Mr. Krishna Rao said that injustice had been committed by the company as the people had sacrificed their land for this project in good. He urged that the rehabilitation colony site be observed over two or three monsoon seasons and allow the soil to settle and harden.

Eviction

“The company is in a hurry to evict people. They have paid extra money to people to shift immediately,” Krishna Rao said.

The company has offered an extra amount of Rs. 36,000 in lieu of rent to the people who vacated the place immediately.

According to Mr. Rao the monetary incentives had unleashed a wave of disobedience and greed amongst the people. “They do not pay heed to our warnings,” he added.

Mr. Prasad said that the incentive was paid because some people were taking too long to vacate thereby hampering the project work, he said.

Accusing the MSEZL of playing with the lives of people, Mr. Rao said that the company would be responsible for any untoward incident at the rehabilitation colony.

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