strategy

Forcing eviction

Synonyms:
Causing mass eviction
Implementation:
In 1993 it was reported that the state-run Calcutta Port Authority, which is flat broke, has leased the land occupied by the Chetla Road shanty town to another government company which plans to build low-rise apartments and office buildings. Its plan was that by 1994 it would have cleared some 22 hectares of squatter settlements and wetlands for middle-income housing projects. 100 or so families were served an eviction notice. Officers of the Port Authority stated that the land has been unassigned for almost a century. The squatters filed a petition in the local courts, using voters lists, bank loan forms and ration cards to prove their status as permanent residents. Many have saved money to put in concrete floors to protect their homes from the monsoon and purchased sturdy bamboo for their walls. Mr. Bhattacharya's Centre, which is a member of the Habitat International Coalition, recently helped finance a one-room school, a health clinic, toilets, water pumps and roofing tiles for the Chetla Road squatters. These modest improvements now seem destined for demolition.
Broader:
Causing
Forcing
Problems:
Forced evictions
Values:
Eviction
Subjects:
Type Classification:
D: Detailed strategies