In the last seven days the Bokaro Steel City’s Estate Court has served notices to 30 illegal occupants who have encroached BSL quarters during the Covid-19 pandemic taking advantage of the lockdown.

There have been as many as 180 quarters encroached by squatters in the township.

Estate Court is a quasi-judicial body established under Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971 by BSL. “There are 180 such illegal occupied quarters existing in the list of Estate Court at present,” said a BSL officer.

Chief of communication, BSL, Manikant Dhan said, “In the last one week, notice has been issued by Estate Court in around 30 cases of lock breaking. They have been told to file their replies online before order is passed by Estate Court. Besides, there are around 150 cases of lock breaking of quarters against which Eviction Order has already been passed by Estate Court.”

He added the decision on eviction drive against these will be taken depending on the Covid situation and permission of the administration. Sources said that whenever any lock-breaking incident comes to notice of the BSL management, a case used to be filed by the department concerned with the Estate Court. The Court later serves notices to occupants and with cooperation from the administration conducts an eviction drive.

In the past nine months, the Estate court along with administrative officials has conducted three eviction drives in September, December of 2020 and in February in 2021. They have managed to evacuate about 120 illegally occupied quarters. But other quarters get illegally occupied by the squatters. Residing of squatters in a block caused worry to legal residents who are mostly BSL employees or retired employees.

Local leaders said that illegal occupants have created an insecure environment in the township as earlier police had arrested Maoists, robbers, cyber criminals, and even rackets running prostitution in the unlawfully occupied quarters. There is also a gang working in these unlawful activities which break the lock of empty BSL quarters and provide it to squatters on rent.

After occupying BSL quarter illegally the occupier gets a chance to live for about two years in the illegally occupied quarters. They take advantage of the lengthy process as BSL management which first identify illegally occupied quarters, lodge a case in Estate Court, then after several notices of eviction, a drive is conducted. This usually takes about two years.