The residents of Bengaluru's Banaswadi area, whose houses had been marked for demolition, have got a temporary reprieve. The houses are said to have been built illegally on a lake bed.
But following a series of appeals from the residents, the local administration has said for now, the only buildings to face the bulldozer will be the commercial complexes.
The state said its approach was based on "humanitarian grounds", but it was not a permanent solution.
"They are accepting... it is a lake-bed encroached land. We are not initiating action immediately," said V Shankar, Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru.
The residents are furious that they had been allowed to build in the first place - and though they welcome the breather from the government, the anxiety remains.
"They have not said they will stop it totally. It is not enough for us. We have been living there for 30 years," said Leena, one of the residents.
For now, they have the cold comfort of the government's promise of action against the officials responsible - those who supported the issuance of katha (title deed) water supply and electricity, as Mr Shankar said. The administration, he said, has "initiated action against nine officers and altogether, got 466 cases filed," said Mr Shankar.
The matter has been politicised, with the BJP-led opposition supporting the people whose homes are threatened.
Local BJP legislator Suresh Kumar said, "We want the government to make it (the reprieve) permanent. We want them to divide the Bangalore lakes between living lake and lakes that cannot be revived."
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