The Madhya Pradesh Housing Board has ordered residents of 600 dilapidated economically weaker section (EWS) houses in Bhopal’s Aishbagh area to vacate by November 13. Demolition of the structures is scheduled for November 14, with the existing homes planned to be replaced by a multi-storey residential complex under the Madhya Pradesh Redevelopment Policy, 2022.

The final notice requires occupants to leave the houses and remove their belongings before the deadline. The demolition will be conducted with assistance from the Bhopal Municipal Corporation and police, according to a release issued by the Housing Board.

The Board has said only 110 of the 600 houses are occupied by their original legal allottees, while the remaining units are under unauthorised occupation. This distinction will determine eligibility for rental assistance during the redevelopment period. Original legal allottees who provide written consent to vacate will qualify for monthly assistance at applicable Collector rates, while unauthorised occupants will not be eligible.

The available information does not specify the rental amount, duration of assistance or arrangements for residents during the demolition process. The structures were declared unsafe by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation in May 2016, and further notices were issued in 2018, indicating that safety concerns and disputes over occupancy have continued for several years.

Under the proposed redevelopment, eligible original allottees will receive new flats that are 20 per cent larger than their existing units. The plan links the removal of unsafe housing with reconstruction of the Aishbagh EWS settlement as a multi-storey complex, but details about the contractor, construction timeline and number of replacement flats have not been provided.

The November 13 vacation deadline falls one day before the scheduled demolition. The Housing Board must address structural safety, possession of the existing units, temporary rental support and the delivery of replacement homes while applying different provisions to legal allottees and unauthorised occupants.