Residents protest eviction from 'unsafe' BSL quarters

Bokaro: The town administration department of the Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) management's decision to initiate eviction from several of its "unsafe" quarters is meeting with stiff opposition from residents.

On Monday, several residents gathered in Sector-12F under the banner of Awas Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, raising slogans against the BSL management. They alleged that the quarters deteriorated due to a lack of maintenance by the company over the years, not due to structural risks.

"We have been demanding repairs for the last four years but received only false assurances. Now, BSL management declared that many housing blocks are damaged and unsafe and is trying to forcibly vacate them. There are many repairable quarters here," said Mukesh Kumar, a resident.

Many of the protesting families have lived in these quarters for over 30 years and are unwilling to vacate.

BSL officials said the decision followed a structural integrity survey carried out by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC). The NBCC was roped in to assist with the repair and maintenance of township structures and conduct safety assessment.

In the first phase of the survey, 161 blocks—comprising 1,000 quarters—were identified as unsafe. Of these, 19 are in Sector-6 and the remaining in Sector-12. According to the BSL Town Administration Department, it is now mandatory to vacate all homes in these blocks.

BSL official Manikant Dhan, said that under the phased relocation plan, current BSL employees and retention case allottees will be relocated to safer housing blocks in the first phase.

In the second phase, non-BSL residents and license allottees—many of whom are private individuals—will be removed. Further details regarding their transfer will be communicated soon, said officials.

The residents, however, remain adamant, demanding a re-inspection of the quarters and warning of intensifying the protest if their demands are not met. "The quarters are being vacated in collusion with contractors and without genuine structural concerns," a protester alleged.

BSL issued a warning stating that non-cooperation could lead to accidents for which the residents themselves would be held responsible. The management urged residents to cooperate with the process, clarifying that it would bear no liability for any mishap in case of non-compliance.

This marks the first instance in Bokaro township where many residential blocks have been simultaneously declared unsafe.

BSL sources said that BSL, along with NBCC, is all set to initiate a structural integrity survey of more than 280 blocks, this time in Sector 12, Sector 6, Sector 8, and Sector 11, in the second phase. This could increase the number of damaged blocks.