VADODARA: Some residents of the Himmatnagar housing scheme in Tarsali were detained till late on Thursday night after they continued to hold demonstration at the VMC office for the second consecutive day.
The beneficiaries were issued notices by the civic body on Monday, asking them to vacate the houses by Saturday. Earlier, the residents had been issued notices in 2019, 2021 and twice last year. While many have vacated their houses, others are still staying there.
The housing scheme developed by the Gujarat Gramya Gruh Nirman Board about four decades ago is now in a dilapidated condition.
Activist Kamlesh Parmar said they had been assured that no demolition will take place immediately. “We have been assured that no demolition will take place immediately and we are pressing for a solution,’’ he said.
According to Parmar, the residents had earlier raised the demand for alternative houses and even visited Gandhingar to make representations. “However, there has been no development on this front so far,” he said.
Parmar added that the residents were also willing to take up redevelopment on their own, but were not allowed to do so. “The beneficiaries had even asked the board to make new houses in place of the existing ones, but even this has not been considered,” said Parmar.
He added that they had even requested the VMC to give the residents houses that it was developing under various schemes.
Parmar and others were kept at Navapura police station till late on Thursday night fearing that they will resume the agitation.
