Bangalore: Minister Wants 50 Acres of Land Taken Back from Sumanahalli Project
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Aug 27: If Karnataka’s Social Welfare Minister A Narayanaswamy has his way, the land allotted to the Sumanahalli Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre near the Beggars’ Colony on Magadi Road would be taken back.
The land was allotted to the Society for establishing a rehabilitation centre for leprosy patients by the former chief minister late D Devaraj Urs way back in 1977. A band of dedicated Catholic priests and nuns have been selflessly looking after the leprosy afflicted persons and rehabilitating them over the last three decades.
The State Government under Devaraj Urs had granted land to the leprosy rehabilitation centre on a 99 year lease. But the Government had not given the title to the leprosy rehabilitation centre.
As the entire property is a huge chunk of prime land in the heart of the city, land sharks and real estate developers have been eyeing the entire property and also the adjacent Beggars Colony as the entire extend of over 161 acres is worth at least Rs 500 crore at current prices.
The minister said the Social Welfare Department will place a proposal before the State Cabinet for taking back the 50 acres of land allotted to the Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre.
However, it is highly unlikely that the State Cabinet might approve the proposal, especially as the project concerns the rehabilitation of leprosy afflicated and cured persons. It may be recalled that the State Government had already taken a portion of the land for construction of a flyover-grade separator for linking the busy Tumkur Road to Mysore Road as the road passes over Jnanabharati campus and Kengeri satellite towns.
The minister contended that there were not many leprosy cases and the cured leprosy afflicted persons can be conveniently rehabilitated elsewhere.
Narayanaswamy said the Department officials have been asked to prepare a blue print for utilizing entire stretch of 161.30 acre prime land on which the Beggars’ Colony is located.
He asserted that the land would not be given to any private companies under any circumstances.
Officials have been told to get back 123.30 acre of the 161.30 acre land from Bangalore Development Authority, he said.
The State Government had planned to give 123.30 acre land to BDA for building a convention centre, a park and a hospital on the total land allotted to Beggars’ Colony.
The Legislative Standing Committee for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare had recommended that the entire land should continue to be in the possession of the Social Welfare Department, he said.
Narayanaswamy said the State Government proposes to give ownership rights to Dalits tilling 30,000 acres of land given to community trusts in different parts of the State.
Land would be registered in the name of Dalit families and khatas would be issued to them, he said.
The process of establishing a full-fledged Backward Classes Welfare Secretariat has commenced and a proposal has been sent to Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) to deploy adequate staff to the Secretariat, he added.