EAS Sarma demands ex-gratia

Visakhapatnam: Former IAS officer EAS Sharma said that one person, hailing from a destitute family, died due to forcible eviction of the residents of RP Peta slum in the city on Tuesday, as a result of exposure to the cold wave.

EAS Sarma wrote a letter to the Commissioner of GVMC and District Collector Pravin Kumar in which he said that he visited the family of the victim and provided some interim monetary relief. He asked the Collector to provide ex-gratia to his surviving family members.

In his letter, Sarma told the District Collector to take steps and ensure that the allotted houses were handed over to the beneficiaries. “I understand that some of those houses are under occupation by others. The GVMC should physically hand over the possession of those houses to the displaced families. Otherwise, they may end up sleeping on the roadside tonight,” EAS Sarma said.

He also wrote a letter to the NHRC and informed that there have been serious violations of human rights in the eviction. Listing out the guidelines issued in October 2008 by the NHRC on the basis of the recommendations of the Committee on Relief and Rehabilitation of Displaced Persons, Sarma said that action by the railways to uproot the residents of R P Peta is a big violation. He also sent the video clippings and pictures showing the evictions.