'Homes Razed, Lives Disrupted': Bengaluru's Saraipalya Residents Spend Nights In Sewage After Bulldozer Action By BDA

By Mohammed Rafiq Mulla

Bengaluru: Residents of Saraipalya in Bengaluru are spending their nights on debris, sewage water and dust after the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) demolished portions of their homes.

Three days after the demolition, many say no official has visited them, no relief has arrived, and their repeated pleas for help have gone unanswered. The families insist they are being pushed out despite holding what they believe are valid property documents. “We are confused. Is this a BDA or government issue? Why should we leave our own houses?” asked a resident, standing beside the rubble that was once a home. Another said bluntly, “We have been here for 21 years. Now suddenly they ask us to vacate our homes.”

Families left on the streets

The residents said the demolition exercise was carried without proper notice and under heavy police presence. JCB machines arrived with more than 20 police personnel, they claim, and homes were brought down while families watched helplessly. Household items, books, and essential belongings were damaged or buried under the debris.

Residents look at their belongings after the bulldozer action (ETV Bharat)

Since then, the families have been sleeping on the roadside. “We are living in dirty water and dust for the last three days. No one has come to see our condition,” a resident said. Authorities allegedly offered compensation of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 and asked the residents to leave. However, the residents called the compensation 'meaningless'. “We don’t even have money for food. How can this amount replace a home?” a woman asked.

Several residents said they bought their properties only after legal checks. A man said he purchased a house for Rs 54 lakh just three months ago after selling his previous home. “I have e-Khata, electricity and water bills, and proof of paying Rs 3.5 lakh to the government. We were told e-Khata means safety. Now bulldozers came and demolished my home,” he said.

Children’s education hit hard

The exercise has had an adverse impact on children. A girl said she has exams coming up but cannot study after watching her home being demolished. “I stay at relatives’ or friends’ houses during the day and come back at night to sleep here. I don’t even have my books,” she said, her voice breaking.

Household items of a family lying in the open (ETV Bharat)

Parents fear long-term damage to their children’s education. “We only want our children to study and live with dignity. No one should face this,” another resident said. People living in the area say many buyers relied on lawyers and official documents and were unaware the land could come under BDA limits. “If there was a problem, why were the documents issued at all?” a resident asked.

Questions to elected leaders

Anger is growing over the absence of elected representatives. The residents questioned why their local MLA, the Revenue and BDA Minister NA Haris, and Housing and Minority Welfare Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed have not visited the site. Several families said they will not vacate and held the government responsible if any harm comes to them. “If they come again with bulldozers, we will not move. If something happens to our family, the government will be responsible,” a man said.

Debris accumulated at Saraipalya after the bulldozer action (ETV Bharat)

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