Hotel which supplied food for male destitute shelter for one year during COVID not paid yet

Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has been unsuccessful in providing shelter to the destitute who have been wandering around the city without any assistance.

Despite conducting rapid surveys twice a month through MCC’s Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) to identify the destitute, the target community still lacks shelter.

A two-day survey was conducted on Dec. 29 and 30, 2022, in collaboration with Green Dot, JMJ Charitable Trust, Madilu Education and Rural Development Institute, which identified 129 homeless across the city.

Although plans were made to accommodate destitute women at the Community Hall near Gurudwara, IV Stage, Gokulam, and the Destitute Centre in Nazarbad and provide shelter for men at Basavaiah Community Hall, Jayanagar, MCC Destitute Centre on Seshadri Iyer Road, and CITB Community Hall, Siddarthanagar, no progress has been made yet.

In the midst of chilly weather and cold winds, the destitute are compelled to spend the night huddled in a corner. The disabled and elderly individuals among them are in a pitiable condition. They are commonly found near K.R. Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road, Railway Station Circle, Seshadri Iyer Road, and under the flyover at Hinkal, trying to make a living through begging.

While there is a separate Ashraya Shelter Home for Destitute Men available on Seshadri Iyer Road, women are deprived of a dedicated facility as the MCC’s plans remain on paper. Officers repeatedly mention plans being put into action, but there has been no progress thus far.

Shockingly, the MCC is yet to settle the bill for one year of food provided by a hotel for the male shelter’s inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the food was supplied by the hotel for two years, the bill for one year remains unpaid, with MCC still owing the arrears for that period, according to an MCC employee.

Additional Commissioner on constant leave

The maintenance and establishment of new centres have been hindered by the transfer of officers in MCC’s DAY-NULM Division. There have been transfers of Additional Commissioner and Programme Officer. The current Additional Commissioner works for one week and then goes on leave for another week, which has also created an obstacle, according to other officers.

An estimate suggests that there are over 100 destitute men and women in the city, but the centre, which has the capacity to accommodate 50, only provides shelter for 35 individuals. The rest are compelled to fend for themselves, particularly women who have no option but to beg at traffic signals.

Dr. Ragapriya, Director of DAY-NULM, recently visited the Ashraya Shelter Home for Destitute Men on Seshadri Iyer Road. During her visit, she interacted with the inmates and listened to their grievances. She instructed DAY-NULM officers to maintain cleanliness at the centre and to open new shelters. The food provided once a day should be properly monitored.

Ningappa of the State Livelihood Mission and Dr. Byralingaiah, the Campaign Manager of MCC DAY-NULM, were also present during the visit.