The Deccan Chronicle 25.08.2010
Beggars Colony loses land to encroachmentAug. 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.
