Bengaluru: The Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh on Thursday said only 90 families who were evicted from Faqir colony in Kogilu layout here are eligible for compensatory housing, dismissing claims that 400 would be accommodated.

Addressing media, he said, “Officials of our department as well as the Social Welfare Department visited the place and surveyed it. Only 90 people are local residents. Only those who belong to the city and those who are actually the beneficiaries will be given houses.”

Meanwhile, the BJP warned of protests on January 5 in Bengaluru if what it termed as “illegal allotment” of houses went ahead. According to Yelahanka BJP MLA S R Vishwanath, several people who deposited Rs one lakh a year ago have not been allotted houses yet as the construction work remained incomplete.

He added that the rules stipulate that the beneficiaries should have a maximum annual income of Rs three lakh. Beneficiaries under the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana must have resided in Bengaluru for at least five years and possess a domicile certificate attested by revenue officials, Vishwanath said at a press conference.

According to him, the revenue officials have not issued any domicile certificate to anyone in Faqir Layout. The entire amount must be deposited before complete possession is handed over.

Alleging irregularities, Vishwanath said people who applied six years ago were still waiting, while those who applied a week ago were being considered. “If this allotment happens, then this will be entirely an illegal allotment,” Vishwanath said. He warned that the BJP would challenge the allotment in the court of law and also raise the issue before the Governor.