Bengaluru: The high court Wednesday said given the situation, the request for in situ rehabilitation of displaced persons at Kogilu Layout, north Bengaluru, may not be feasible.A division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha made this observation after pointing to the govt’s contention that rehabilitation cannot be permitted there given the toxic situation at the place, which was earlier used as a landfill site. During the hearing, advocate general Shashikiran Shetty submitted that complete details of the 167 affected persons are available. He said temporary allotment letters cited by the petitioners did not pertain to the site where the demolition drive was conducted on Dec 20 last year. On the other hand, counsel for the petitioners submitted that more than 800 persons were affected by the drive. Considering the same, the division bench appointed advocate BV Vidyullatha as amicus curiae to assist the court in the case. Karnataka State Legal Services Authority was told to help her and submit a report on temporary rehabilitation measures, verify records as to how many people are affected and whether adequate rehabilitation measures have been taken or not. The next hearing is scheduled for Feb 9. According to the petitioners, the demolition drive undertaken on Dec 20 was in violation of guidelines issued by the Supreme Court last year, wherein it was clearly specified that no demolition should be undertaken without issuing prior show-cause notice.
