The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : State considering commercial use of beggars' home land?

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Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

State considering commercial use of beggars' home land?

Staff Reporter

Government orders transfer of 161 acres of land to BDA

It is proposed to build hospitals, parks and a convention centre on 123 acres of land
‘Decision to relocate the beggars will be taken only after alternative arrangements are made'

BANGALORE: Under the guise of constructing new buildings for the Beggars' Rehabilitation Centre (BRC) and the Central Relief Committee that runs it, the State Government appears all set to allow commercial use of a large portion of the 161 acres of prime land of the centre which is in the possession of the Social Welfare Department.

As much as 30 per cent of the 161 acres of land, which commands a real estate value in a prime locality, now seems to be up for grabs for commercial exploitation. This has given a new twist to the state of affairs at the centre, which is the news for the death of 28 inmates.

Recently, the State Government ordered the transfer of 161 acres of land to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). It is proposed to build hospitals, parks and a convention centre on 123 acres of land, which will be used for public purposes.

The authority has been asked to start construction of these new structures only after it makes arrangements for the relocation of Central Relief Committee (CRC) and its Beggars' Rehabilitation Centre (BRC) on 38 acres of land on the northern side of the campus. The BDA has said that it may be permitted to commercially exploit 30 per cent of the transferred land to generate funds for the construction of the CRC and BRC buildings, for which the government has given a green signal.

‘Move to usurp land'

“It is a move to usurp the land meant for rehabilitation of beggars for commercial purpose. It makes way for land developers to use this prime land for construction of malls and so on as it has happened in several instances earlier,” said M. Nagaraj, Leader of Opposition in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike.

It was in 1944 that Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar earmarked 308.02 acres of land in Srigandhakavalu village for rehabilitation of beggars. This land came under the Social Welfare Department. The land presently houses the building of the CRC, which oversees the rehabilitation centres in the State, including the Bangalore Beggars' Rehabilitation Centre. The BRC has eight dormitories for beggars, three buildings for training the inmates in different vocational activities, a primary health centre and a kitchen.

The State Government decided to transfer 161 acres of the land to the BDA, despite the opposition by the Legislative Committee for the SC/ST welfare that wanted the land to be with the Social Welfare Department. The State Government has directed the BDA to relocate the CRC and BRC buildings in 38 acres of land on the northern side.

‘Only order'

Commissioner of BDA Bharat Lal Meena said the Government had issued a notification about the transfer of land, but the BDA is yet to take possession of it

“We are yet to conceptualise the buildings coming up in the area. Nothing is finalised so far,” Mr. Meena said.

Meanwhile, Social Welfare Minister Govind Karjol said any decision to relocate the beggars from the centre would be taken only after alternative arrangements were made. “I know that a decision has been taken to hand over a portion of the land to BDA, but we cannot shift the beggars unless adequate buildings and infrastructure come up in the alternative land”, he said.

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