Bhubaneswar Salia sahi residents spend night in open after demolition drive

The eviction drive, started on Tuesday, in Salia Sahi continues as the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and the Commissionerate Police jointly carried out the large-scale demolition drive. 

Meanwhile, the residents have protested the demolition, refusing to move to the transit house provided by the BMC. 

After their homes were demolished on Tuesday, several residents gathered near an open ground and spent the night under the cold winter sky.

Demand Land from the Govt

The residents, who have been living in the area for years now, demand land from the government, arguing that the temporary houses arranged by the BMC cannot accommodate more than two people. They have set up tarpaulin covers to store their belongings and stayed outside while continuing to demand land.

A resident voiced her deep dissatisfaction, saying, “We will not go to the transit houses. We want land. The government should allot us land somewhere; we have lived here for years. How can an entire family stay in such a small space? Give us land, or we will continue staying here on the roadside.”

“We were told the eviction would happen on November 20, but the drive began before that. Nothing has been given to us. We cannot live in those congested rooms. We are used to living here; how can we suddenly adjust to those elevated houses? We are old, and we cannot climb stairs. No matter how hard it gets, we will stay here. We are tribal people; we will fight. We would rather die here than leave this place,” said another resident.

Expressing frustration, another resident said, “The government said they would ensure roads for us, and they did. But where is the rest of the arrangement? We are living under tarpaulin sheets. They had promised that the demolition would happen only after houses were provided to us. But, see what they have done now.”