Five women consumed a poisonous substance on Thursday night while protesting against eviction at Janta Quarters in the Aishbagh area of Bhopal, and were rushed to Hamidia Hospital, where treatment was continuing, NewsDarpan reported. Swadesh, in its video report on the Aishbagh protest, also reported that five women had consumed a poisonous substance amid the demonstrations against the Housing Board's demolition move.

Source: NewsDarpan

The incident triggered panic in the area and sharpened the concerns of around 600 families who face the possibility of losing their homes. The Madhya Pradesh Housing Board has issued a final notice asking residents to vacate their houses and remove their belongings by November 13, and is preparing to begin demolition of the dilapidated buildings from November 14.

What the Housing Board says

According to Akanksha Agrawal, Assistant Engineer with the Housing Board, around 110 of the families living in Janta Quarters are original allottees. The Bhopal Municipal Corporation had declared the buildings dangerous in May 2016. The Board is working on a plan to redevelop the Janta Quarters area under the Madhya Pradesh Redevelopment Policy-2022, with the existing structures to be replaced by a multi-storey residential complex.

Source: Urban Acres

Residents demand rehabilitation first

Residents of Janta Quarters, including Kaniza B, Seema Khan and Aamna B, are demanding that rehabilitation arrangements be made before the houses are demolished, NewsDarpan reported. Swadesh reported that the residents are daily-earning families who say that if they vacate their houses they may have to pay rent of 10,000 to 12,000 rupees per month, and that local residents have demanded the government either reverse the demolition decision or provide suitable alternative housing.

Source: Swadesh (YouTube)

Residents had earlier staged a protest at the Collectorate against the proposed demolition of nearly 600 houses declared unsafe, led by Congress leader Manoj Shukla, and urged the administration to provide permanent alternative accommodation first, Bhaskar English reported. No official announcement of a halt to the November 14 demolition, or of a rehabilitation package for all affected families, had been reported at the time of publication.