BENGALURU: There may be relief in sight for Pottery Town residents, who had earlier launched a campaign against the upcoming Metro line that runs between Gottigere and Nagawara as part of Phase 2 of Namma Metro.
The 16,800 sqft land, in which the potters have been living and working since 1974, belongs to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The Palike had said that they are violating the rules and need to vacate the area.
"Pottery and clay making requires effort and space, which is why we are pleading the government to not take away our only means of income. Now they are saying we will be pushed to one acre of land which will be very little space for business, because we have to seek permission from many departments if we have to re-establish the clay burning points," a local resident said.
The BBMP said that the residents will have to occupy one acre of land given to them, and once the Metro work is done, their initial two-acre work area will be restored to them as no concrete structure is being razed in the area. Each family moulds over 70,000 chai kulhad (cups) every day, fetching each member about Rs 2,000 daily. Gottigere-Nagawara Metro line will be laid 60ft underground, through the Shivajinagar-Cantonment-Pottery town-Venkateshpura-Arabic College-Nagawara route. Every year, over 3,000 foreigners visit Pottery Town for research and shopping.
Mayor Gangambike said, “Potter's lives will not be affected. They are just being asked to cooperate with BBMP and BMRCL officials. The land belongs to the BBMP and the potters can carry out their work as usual in the area reserved for them by BBMP for now.”
