http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=58424&n_tit=Mangalore%3A++MCC+Bulldozes+60+Illegally-built+Homes+in+Shakti+Nagar+ Mangalore: MCC Bulldozes 60 Illegally-built Homes in Shakti Nagar Daijiworld Media Network— Mangalore (RS/CN) Mangalore, Apr 1: At least 60 families were left in tears after their homes were bulldozed for being illegal constructions. The police and corporation officials turned a deaf ear to the pleas of the residents and continued moving things out of the homes to be taken down. The incident took place at Rajeev Nagar in Shakti Nagar. The 60 houses which were built without permission from the city corporation were mostly temporary structures though there were some which were permanent constructions. “These houses were constructed without permission in this place. There is no option for constructing houses as this place is reserved for Ashraya houses”, said Balakrishna Gowda, town planning officer, Mangalore city corporation, who was leading the operation. “In this nine acre area, 210 houses are allotted while the rest of the place is illegally occupied. We had informed them when they started the construction”, he added. The residents of these houses were poor people and workers. One of them is a widow who spent her savings on building her house here. The workers lived in temporary structures built with bamboo and plastic. But three to seven houses were built better and at least two of them had concrete terraces. The displaced people alleged that the local corporator supported them when building their houses. They said that they were assured by the corporator that the houses will be legalized through ‘Akrama Sakrama’ scheme. Corporator Mariyamma Thomas who arrived at the spot two and a half hours after the demolition began said, “It is the bad nature of corporation officials and beating up of the poor. When the administration failed to provide or allot houses, poor people occupied the area themselves but a demolition drive is not the solution and it must be legalized.” She said that a person named Ronald Paul had cheated all these people by claiming to be a former military officer and the land was allotted to him. Thomas said that the man had earned money by permitting them to build a house.

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