Outrage over demolition of Bhimraobada Special Correspondent HYDERABAD: In a pre-dawn swoop, the district authorities razed the Bhimraobada slum next to Gandhi Bhavan, paving way for construction of Indira Bhavan, the city office of the Congress party. The swift action caught the residents, who were fast asleep, unawares. As the bleary-eyed slum dwellers tried to comprehend what was happening, three JCB machines set about flattening their homes. And for the next few hours it was utter chaos. The residents did not even have time to take out their belongings with all the protests and pleas falling on deaf ears. As the city folks elsewhere began yet another day, the Bhimraobada residents found themselves on the roads - literally. Though it was yet another demolition drive for the district administration, it quickly snowballed into a major issue with political parties of all hues joining the issue. Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu rushed to the spot with party workers in tow and spent nearly two hours inspecting the demolished houses and talking with the inmates. Later, he was arrested and shifted to Saifabad police station where he staged a sit-in demonstration along with CPI, CPM leaders. Vishnuvardhan Reddy, the lone Congress MLA to protest, was arrested and taken to Nampally police station followed by Pawan Kalyan of Praja Rajyam. The issue also found an echo in Kakinada where PR leader, Naga Babu, staged a demonstration. Other leaders taken into custody included P. Madhu, S. Sudhakar Reddy (MPs), N. Narsimha Reddy, T. Harish Rao (TRS), K. Vijayarama Rao, Alladi Rajkumar (TDP), Bandaru Dattatreya (BJP) and B.V. Raghavulu (CPM). Bhimraobada echoed with ‘YSR down down” slogans as leader after leader castigated the government for its ‘anti-poor’ policies. Traffic remained disrupted for most of the day as the action shifted from Gandhi Bhavan to Saifbad police station. The 83 asbestos-roofed houses spread over 1,153 sq yds were pulled down in no time. The slum dwellers, it is said, obtained stay from court when told to vacate the place in June. Last Tuesday, when the stay expired, the court refused to extend it further. Taking advantage of this, the authorities decided to evict the basti people on Saturday. House allotted Revenue, police and GHMC personnel coordinated the operation which began at 5 a.m. The district authorities deployed 80 trucks and 400 persons to shift the household articles to Afzalsagar where the Bhimraobada residents were allotted houses in the Vambay weaker section housing colony. Source: The Hindu, 28 December 2008 <http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/28/stories/2008122857720100.htm> Eviction evokes violent protests TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu along with (from left) TRS MLA Harish Rao, MP Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy. HYDERABAD: Though the residents of Bhim Rao Bada were given an alternative site at Afzal Sagar area near Aghapura, about 96 families refused to vacate stating that they would shift to a better place. The residents, largely from the lower-middle class and daily wage earners, were in for a rude shock when a large contingent of police personnel and municipal officials descended on their place in the early hours at about 5.30 a.m. The officials then ordered the residents to pack their belongings and leave for Afzal Sagar immediately. When they refused, the officials, using the police force, tried to forcibly shift them and started demolition work. This evoked violent protests from the residents. Meanwhile, on receiving information Opposition party leaders rushed to the spot. N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), BV Raghavulu (CPM), Bandaru Dattatreya (BJP), Aziz Pasha (CPI), Nayani Narsimha Reddy, T Harish Rao (TRS), Pawan Kalyan (PRP), K Srinivasa Rao (Lok Satta) and Human Rights activists Prof Hara Gopal, Jeevan Kumar and others arrived on the scene and staged a dharna. Balaraj, one of the victim, informed that the entire land measuring about 5600 sq

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