Belagavi: RTI activist Bhimappa Gadad criticised the state govt for providing housing to poor victims from other states while neglecting homeless families in Karnataka, calling the move unethical. He said he would approach the Karnataka high court, challenging the policy and alleging misuse of taxpayers’ money.In a release, Bhimappa said the Karnataka govt announced compensation and alternative housing for families affected by the removal of an unauthorised structure in Kogilu under the Byatarayanapura assembly segment. Chief minister Siddaramaiah entrusted the responsibility of providing housing to the housing minister. The decision to allocate housing under the CM’s One Lakh Housing Scheme, limited to this case, was evidence of the state govt’s unethical governance. The victims were from Kerala and illegally built houses and lived here. He said the opposition parties have not been raising their voices against this, indicating there was no strong opposition party in the state.The project to build houses for 960 flood victims in the Arabhavi constituency in Belagavi district was neglected for many years. Despite several requests to the state govt, it did not materialise. The state govt was reluctant to build houses for flood victims in many places. In such a situation, it was unethical to go ahead and build houses for people from other states.He said he would approach the high court seeking justice, condemning the state govt’s discriminatory attitude and its policy of playing politics with an eye on the votes of minorities from other states.
