RAIPUR
Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Deepak Baij on Wednesday termed the recent Nakti village demolition drive illegal and inhuman, alleging that it exposed the anti-poor face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
Addressing a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, Baij stated that the administration demolished 85 houses, including those constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). He demanded that the state government rebuild the houses at the same site, compensate the affected families, and dismiss Housing and Environment Minister O.P. Choudhary.
Monsoon evictions violate norms
The Congress leader pointed out that displacement or eviction procedures are traditionally halted during the monsoon season on humanitarian grounds. He noted that the monsoon arrives in Chhattisgarh between 10 June and 15 June, after which land demarcation is paused across the state.
“The demolition in Nakti village was carried out on 29 June, which is completely illegal and incorrect. Strict legal action must be initiated against the officials involved. If the government fails to act, the Congress party will approach the court,” Baij said.
Inadequate rehabilitation
The PCC chief alleged that the government deployed bulldozers to demolish the structures without a proper rehabilitation plan or giving residents sufficient time to remove their belongings.
The temporary allotment letters issued by the government require payments of ₹5.50 lakh and ₹8.50 lakh. The Congress questioned who would bear this financial burden and demanded that the houses be provided completely free of cost.
Congress MLAs refuse alternative housing
Baij revealed that tribal Congress MLA Janak Dhruv wrote to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, refusing to accept the legislator housing allotted in Nakti. Similarly, Scheduled Caste MLA Chaturi Nand declined her allotment, stating she would not occupy a house built by displacing poor families.
The PCC president urged BJP legislators to also refuse housing in the colony. He questioned why the government did not use the vacant land in Nava Raipur for the legislators’ colony when thousands of acres are available and regularly leased to private institutions and companies.
Senior Congress leaders Rajendra Tiwari, Amitesh Shukla, Sushil Anand Shukla, Saklen Kamdar, Anita Sharma, Srikumar Shankar Menon, Rajendra Pappu Banjare, Dhananjay Singh Thakur, Vandana Rajput, Satyaprakash Singh, and Ajay Gangwani were present at the press conference.
Key grievances raised by Congress
- Relocation site is far from the original residential area.
- Joint families of 20–25 members are being accommodated in single-room houses.
- The transit site lacks basic civic amenities such as electricity and drinking water.
