GHMC to open ten night shelters
Monday, 16 August 2010 04:43
administrator
The Hindu 16.08.2010
GHMC to open ten night shelters
Special Correspondent
Supreme Court has given time till Dec. to open shelters for homeless
Night shelters to have power, beds, drinking water and toilet facilities
HYDERABAD: Rehabilitation of destitute including beggars has once again begun to haunt GHMC. While earlier such projects have been flops for various reasons, it is in a tearing hurry to open at least 10 night shelters by next month.
If not for the Standing Committee holding back clearance till the project was studied in depth by the members, Urban Community Development (UCD) officials would have gone ahead to select a private partner in the form of a non-governmental organisation to run the shelters in designated municipal community halls under the public, private partnership mode.
Committee members pointed out that modalities for the project like financial issues were yet to be hammered out and wanted a wider discussion before being approved. They were also keen to know the security, rehabilitation and other aspects for the poor being taken into such shelters.
Plan is to start 10 night shelters, two each in the five zones to accommodate the 994-odd homeless destitute identified in various parts of the capital. Ideally, there has to be one shelter for every one lakh population and hence 60 such shelters are required for the population as per the 2001 census.
UCD officials want to begin with the 10 before going for new shelters as the Supreme Court has given time till December to open and run night shelters for the homeless. The select night shelters with provision for power, beds, drinking water and toilet facilities are to be first spruced up by taking up repairs of the existing halls where these are coming up.
Also part of the scheme is to provide basic health care, counselling on addictions, ascertain their capabilities to provide some kind of vocational training and other life skills with the help of NGOs. Despite misgivings considering the ham-handed way in which the earlier such rehabilitation centres have been handled there is perceptible urgency in the getting it off the ground because the Apex court has asked other States to visit shelters being set up here and emulate.
Last Updated on Monday, 16 August 2010 04:49
GHMC’s sham show: See, no beggars!
Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:38
administrator
The New Indian Express 05.08.2010
GHMC’s sham show: See, no beggars! HYDERABAD: You might not get accosted by alm-seekers for the next few days, as you venture out onto the city streets. Since Tuesday evening, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) staff have started picking up beggars from all nooks and corners of the city and lodging them in community halls and makeshift temporary shelter homes.
So far, they have picked up some 500 beggars from busy junctions, traffic signals, main roads, bus stations, railway stations, bus depots and shopping malls. This sudden action plan is due to the proposed visit of officials from different parts of the country to study the project of rehabilitation of beggars being implemented by the GHMC, so that the same model can be replicated by their respective states.
A few months ago, the GHMC had filed an affidavit in Supreme Court informing the court that it is going to rehabilitate beggars by establishing beggar homes, temporary shelters and providing them with food, clothing and shelter. Based on the affidavit, the SC asked other states to visit Hyderabad, to follow the model adopted by GHMC.
Worried by the visit of officials from different states, GHMC has started picking up beggars from the streets and lodging them in community halls and rehabilitation homes, to show officials how GHMC is rehabilitating them. Though the state government had assured the court that it would eradicate begging in public places, nothing has happened on the ground level.
A few years ago, the corporation made an attempt to rehabilitate beggars by shifting them to temporary shelters but 95 percent of them escaped and returned to their familiar trade, as they found it to be more lucrative, according to GHMC officials.
“We brought them to these homes and also conducted counselling but they always returned to the streets to resume their old profession,” said a GHMC official. However, only moving them to temporary homes would not eradicate the problem. They should be given elementary education and training in job skills.
Last Updated on Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:41
|
GHMC to build night shelters
Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:14
administrator
The Deccan Chronicle 05.08.2010
GHMC to build night shelters
Hyderabad, Aug. 4: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will set up “night shelters” for the homeless people in the city.
People sleeping on footpaths, under flyovers, on foot over bridges and other public places will be picked up and shifted to the proposed night shelters. The plan is to prepare a profile of such people with regard to where they have originally come from, what kind of skills they could be trained with and thereafter, train them or send them back to their native places. If the homeless are children, they will be sent to bridge camps where they can be educated.
The GHMC had earlier launched a similar programme whereby beggars would be gathered and shifted to rehabilitation homes. However, the GHMC failed in its attempt and the project was abandoned mid-way.
Officials said the night shelters project is being taken up following the commitment given by the state government to the Supreme Court that Hyderabad will have night shelters just like Delhi. The additional commissioner of the GHMC, Ms G.D. Priyadarshini, said the night shelters project would be executed under a public, private partnership mode. The civic body is writing letters to corporate houses seeking their support for the project by adopting shelter homes.
“Around 40 community halls have been identified and they will be converted into night shelters. Depending upon the survey and number of homeless people in the city, more halls will be allotted for conversion into night shelters. The night shelters will start functioning in less than a week from now,” she said.
The GHMC commissioner, Dr Sameer Sharma, said the Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences has agreed to support the project.
Last Updated on Thursday, 05 August 2010 06:17
Following Prideasia, fate of UT slum rehabilitation project hangs in balance
Wednesday, 04 August 2010 11:47
administrator
Indian Express 04.08.2010
Following Prideasia, fate of UT slum rehabilitation project hangs in balance
Express News Service Tags : UT slum rehabilitation project Posted: Wed Aug 04 2010, 01:55 hrs Chandigarh: The ongoing slum rehabilitation project of the Chandigarh Administration has received another blow, with the government depositing Rs 210 crore, earned from Parsvnath Developers in lieu of the Prideasia IT Habitat project, into the Consolidated Fund of India.
The move comes nearly four months after the special audit ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs highlighted gross irregularities in the functioning of the Chandigarh Administration and observed that the money be immediately deposited into the account of Consolidated Fund of India.
With this, the slum rehabilitation project has slipped even further with UT now losing out on funds. The total cost of the ambitious scheme is estimated to be around Rs 1,200 crore. Of this, the Chandigarh Administration has already spent nearly Rs 360 crore from the money deposited by Parsvnath Developers Limited in lieu of the Prideasia project.
Another Rs 225 crore has been incurred on the project, which the Administration got under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme.
According to officials, two instalments amounting to Rs 200 crore are still awaited under JNNURM for completion of the project. The Administration will, however, still fall short of nearly Rs 415 crore to complete the project.
Secretary (Finance) Sanjay Kumar said, “Depositing Rs 210 crore in the Consolidated Fund of India is a kind of an account settlement, which the auditors wanted us to do. We have done that now. As far as getting money for completing the slum rehabilitation project is concerned, we are again going to raise a demand for funds with the Central government. As the Planning Commission has approved our demand of additional Rs 190 crore; we shall be requesting the Ministry of Home Affairs to also grant us some funds, so that the project can be completed.” The pace of the project has definitely been hit after Prideasia got stalled and with the money being deposited to the Consolidated Fund of India; but it is still on track. I think, we shall be able to pull it through,” Sanjay Kumar added.
The Chandigarh Administration was to earn nearly Rs 821 crore from the deal with Parsvnath Devleopers on the Prideasia IT Habitat project. However, ever since the project hit a wall, the government has been left craving for funds. At present, the Prideasia project is under arbitration. Though Chandigarh Administration had issued a notice of ‘termination of contract on the project’ and ‘forfeiture of the entire deposit’ to Parsvnath Developers; the arbitration tribunal has put a stay on the termination and forfeiture of deposit.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 August 2010 11:48
|
