The Times of India  25.08.2010

MYSORE: Two days after mismanagement at the destitutes' rehabilitation centre here came to light, officials of the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) have decided to construct a new facility for inmates.

MUDA has invited tenders for construction of a new beggars' home at Jyothinagar with a nine-month deadline to complete the Rs 83.55-lakh project. The tender documents will be uploaded on its website in two days, and bids have to be filed by September 22.

Officials seem to be speeding up the process as the pre-tender meeting has been slated for September 15. Technical bids will be opened on September 24. However, the dates for open financial bids will be announced to eligible bidders at a later stage.

MUDA's assistant executive engineer, Panduranga, told TOI that the present centre is in a dilapidated state, hence the bids for a new structure. He said the new building will be L-shaped and will have two floors, with seven rooms each. The building will have a built-up area of 10,000 sq ft and will have a solar facility.

The construction will be funded from the beggary cess collected by MUDA. The official said this was the third time that the authority was inviting tenders for the purpose. Tenders were earlier called for a year ago, and again six months ago, but no bids were made, he said.

The in-charge secretary of the centre, Mayadevi Galagali, who is also the district officer for backward classes and minority cell, said at present the centre has eight dormitories. Of this, two are reserved for women and the rest for men, the mentally unstable and sick. The centre spreads over two -and-a-half acres.

Galagali took charge at the centre two months ago after the district social welfare officer, who is also the ex-officio secretary to the centre, was charged of mismanagement.

The Deccan Chronicle  25.08.2010

Aug. 24: The Beggars Colony on Magadi road, where 27 beggars have died in the last week alone, has huge property on paper. But in reality a large portion of the 310 acres gifted to it in 1948 by the Maharaja of Mysore has been either encroached upon or leased to various agencies and not recovered although some of the lease periods have expired a long time ago.

Today the colony is left with 160 acres, while 150 acres have been cut into pieces and given to government agencies and even individuals. For instance 8.3 acres have been given to the BDA, 4.86 acres to the BWSSB, a 250 ft x 200 ft plot to one Srinivasakumar to run a petrol bunk, another 200 ft x 200 ft plot to M.N. Muniraju, to also run a petrol bunk, a 100 ft x100 ft plot to B.Ravindra, for a petrol bunk again, a 250 ft x150 ft plot to a shopkeeper and six acres to the Sarvodaya Education Society.

As much as 6 acres of land has been encroached by a cluster of unauthorised buildings, which have not been evicted although the colony has a Supreme Court order on its side.

The colony also doesn’t seem to care that the Unani Hospital which has taken 55 acres and 36 guntas of its land on lease, has not reserved 20 per cent of its beds for its inmates as required under the agreement.

The authorities have done nothing about recovering 63.02 acres from the Summanahalli Leprosy care centre, although the 30-year lease period expired three years ago.

While land sharks are lying in wait to grab its property, they seem content with receiving Re 1 as the lease amount for some of the land in their possession, showing as much disinterest in administering it as in caring for the beggars, living in inhuman conditions in the colony.