Relocate slum dwellers: HC to slum board
A PIL stated that the board had failed to act on an earlier HC order.
Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court, on Tuesday directed the state slum development and clearance board to relocate and rehabilitate the residents of Jai Bhuvaneshwari Nagar slums.
The slums are located within the premises of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Disease and were to be relocated in three months to Kudla village near Parappana Agrahara.
The court passed the orders while hearing a contempt plea by B. Krishna Bhat who had alleged that the state and the slum board had failed to act upon an earlier high court order to relocate the slum dwellers to Kudlu village near Parappana Agrahara along with rehabilitation facilities to them.
At least 600 of them were residing in the slum within RGICD premises at the land measuring 2.5 acres for over 45 years.
The petitioner had filed the PIL in 2000 upon which the court had directed the authorities to clear the slum residents after providing them the rehabilitation in 2008.
Later, some of the petitioners had approached the high court on the grounds that the rehab location was far from their present location and that it affects their daily life, however the court had directed the state to relocate it.
Sugarcane row:?Consider the plea The high court on Tuesday directed the state government to consider the representation of the petitioner who filed a PIL on seeking strict implementation of the Central Government rules of Sugarcane (Control) order 1966, which stipulates payment of cane price within 14 days of supply, failing which interest at the rate of 15 percent per annum on amount due for the delayed period beyond 14 days is payable.
The court passed order following a petition filed by A C Achandra Shekar, a farmer, seeking directions to all the 58 sugarcane factories to not to keep the dues beyond 14 days and if fail then they have to give the amount with 15 percent interest.
The petitioner’s advocate G.R. Mohan submitted before the court that according to the RTI information obtained from commissioner for Cane Development and Director of Sugar in September 25, it stated that 21 sugar companies in the state have not given the money to farmers and Rs 161.40 crore is pending in these sugarcane companies and in that four have closed years back but they have not paid the dues to farmers.
“Of the 21 sugar factories 12 sugar factories still have dues pending from the last financial year (2012-13). While they have not cleared these, there is a rule that that they have to repay their loans within 14 days.
Five other temporary factories also have dues in the financial year of 2013-14 and four other factories some of which closed almost decade ago have not been paid their dues,” the advocate further told the court.