Karnataka Govt Announces Alternative Housing for Kogilu Demolition Victims After AICC Intervention

Bengaluru, Dec 2025 :Following the intervention of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the Congress-led Karnataka government on Monday announced a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for families who lost their shelters during the recent demolition drive at Kogilu Layout in north Bengaluru. The decision, announced after a high-level meeting, seeks to balance strict enforcement of law against illegal encroachments with humanitarian considerations for displaced residents.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, addressing a joint press conference along with Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar, said the government had decided to provide alternative housing to the affected families, even though the structures demolished were illegally constructed on government land.

“Although these houses were built illegally, the government has decided to provide alternative accommodation on humanitarian grounds,” Siddaramaiah said, underlining that the move was a one-time exception driven by compassion rather than a precedent for regularisation of encroachments.

The Chief Minister said the state government had already constructed nearly one lakh houses with the objective of providing shelter to economically weaker sections. As part of the current decision, families whose sheds were demolished will be provided permanent houses from January 1, 2026, marking the beginning of the New Year.

He clarified that the alternative housing would be provided within a seven-kilometre radius of Kogilu Layout to ensure that the affected families are not uprooted from their livelihoods, workplaces, and social networks. After deliberations with Deputy CM Shivakumar, Housing Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan, Revenue Minister and local MLA Krishna Byregowda, the government decided to allot houses in Baiyappanahalli.

“At Baiyappanahalli, in Survey Number 23, there are around 1,087 houses available. Once we receive a verified list of eligible beneficiaries, these houses in multi-storey buildings will be allotted. Baiyappanahalli is only about seven kilometres away from Kogilu,” Siddaramaiah said.

Providing details of the financial structure, the Chief Minister said each housing unit had been constructed at an estimated cost of ₹11.20 lakh. Substantial subsidies from both the state and central governments would be extended to beneficiaries. For general category beneficiaries, the total subsidy amounts to ₹8.70 lakh, while Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries would receive subsidies worth ₹9.50 lakh.

In addition, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has been instructed to provide ₹5 lakh per house. The remaining amount will be arranged as a loan—₹2.5 lakh for general category beneficiaries and ₹1.70 lakh for SC/ST beneficiaries. Housing Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan has agreed to facilitate the loan process after verification of beneficiaries.

Siddaramaiah said the verification process would be completed within the next two days, and the responsibility of ensuring that houses are ready for occupation by January 1 has been entrusted to the Housing Minister. Temporary arrangements for food and shelter have also been put in place during the transition period.

At the same time, the Chief Minister issued a stern warning to officials of the Revenue Department and civic bodies, making it clear that accountability would be fixed if government land is encroached upon in the future.

“Such illegal encroachments cannot happen without the knowledge of local officials, including the tahsildar and revenue inspectors. If any illegal construction occurs in the future, the concerned officials themselves will be held responsible,” he warned.

He clarified that providing government-built houses to people who had illegally constructed sheds would apply strictly to this case alone and should not be misinterpreted as a policy shift. “We will not tolerate illegal construction. This decision is purely humanitarian and case-specific,” Siddaramaiah reiterated.

Recalling the events that led to the demolition, the Chief Minister said around 167 illegally constructed sheds on government land at Kogilu Layout were cleared on December 20. Notices had been served to all occupants well in advance, informing them that the land belonged to the state government and directing them to vacate.

“Despite repeated notices, the occupants failed to vacate the land, leaving the authorities with no option but to proceed with the demolition,” he said.

Siddaramaiah added that he had deputed Housing Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan and his political secretary Naseer Ahmed to visit the site on Monday to assess the situation. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar also visited the area on Tuesday along with senior officials to review ground realities.

Explaining the status of the land, the Chief Minister said the Deputy Commissioner had handed over 15 acres to the city corporation for garbage disposal purposes. A stone quarry is also located in the vicinity, and the land has been in the possession of the civic body, which has been dumping waste there for years.

“It has now come to light that people started illegally constructing sheds and living on this land around 2020–21. This is a serious lapse, and action will be initiated against the officials responsible,” he said.

To prevent recurrence of such incidents, Siddaramaiah said he had issued clear instructions to all concerned departments to ensure that government land is protected at all costs. Deputy Commissioners and civic body officials have been directed to identify eligible beneficiaries among those displaced and submit a verified list within two days.

The Chief Minister also revealed that Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal had discussed the issue with him in Delhi and later with Deputy CM Shivakumar. He assured the party leadership that alternative arrangements would be made for the affected families.

Siddaramaiah alleged that the issue was being unnecessarily politicised by opposition parties and leaders from outside the state. He claimed that the Communist Party and even the Kerala Chief Minister had attempted to turn the matter into a political controversy ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections expected in early 2026.

“On humanitarian grounds, we are making arrangements for their stay. At the same time, we will not allow illegal constructions anywhere. Our intention is only to prevent illegalities, not to score political points,” he said, adding that questions about Kerala’s involvement should be addressed to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Reiterating the government’s stand, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka would remain firm against encroachments while ensuring that genuine poor families are not left homeless. “Law will take its course, but compassion will guide our actions,” he concluded.

Team Maverick.