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Journalism of Courage
Keith lobo, who has been residing at Bow Barracks with his wife for the last 60 years, is not sure about his fate after the demolition of the structure.
8220;We have no information about the state government8217;s plan to rebuild the buildings, as nobody has taken our consent. Local political leaders are dealing with the issue,8221; said Lobo.
While locals allege that Barry O8217;Brien, the representative of the Anglo-Indian community in the Assembly hardly visits his constituency, he denied commenting on the issue when contacted.
On the other hand, local councillor Bimal Singh avoided commenting saying that local residents never approached him for help. 8220;I have not been contacted either by the locals or the state government. I am not sure how the government is going to rehabilitate the residents,8221; added Singh.
According to a senior KMDA official, the state government was planning to build a housing complex after demolishing the present structures and sell the residential units. Later it was decided that the units would be sold to the residents at a reduced rate, the official said.
Since 1999, the KIT and the KMDA have been trying to vacate the barracks and shift the residents to a temporary rehabilitation camp in the adjacent Nalanda Park, but this plan has also failed to take off.
8220;The barracks are owned by the KIT. The members of the Anglo-Indian community residing there used to pay Rs 30 as rent since long. As of now, we are not accepting the rent,8221; said Ashok Bhattacharya, Minister, Municipal Affairs and Urban Development.
8220;Legally, we can start the project by evicting them. But as per the state government8217;s policy, we will not force anybody to move out until there is a consensus on the project,8221; added Bhattacharya.
The controversy
The KIT built the twin barracks in central Kolkata during the World War II as a garrison for American soldiers. But they never reached there to stay. Several Anglo-Indian families occupied the one-room flats over time.
In 1980, the buildings were declared unsafe. The Trust asked the occupants to vacate it. But the state government and the locals did not reach an agreement.
In 1999, the KIT stopped accepting the rent from residents.
In 2007, nearly 111 of the 132 families agreed to re-develop the buildings. But after the government decided to sell the flats to the residents, they stalled the project.
