Representational image of sexual assault and rape.
Credit: iStock photo
Mysuru: The lack of a separate specific shelter to accommodate migrant vendors or workers during special occasions like Mysuru Dasara to cities has proved costly for a couple from Kalburgi, whose child was allegedly raped and murdered during the wee hours of Thursday, in Mysuru.
Child rights experts, associations, and concerned citizens have urged the Karnataka government to come up with choultries, shelters on the lines of the flood relief centres to accommodate migrant vendors or workers during peak tourist seasons like Dasara or fairs.
"At least 300 families come to Mysuru from other districts and even from other states during Dasara and other peak tourist seasons to sell balloons, dolls and other products. They stay on vacant sites, in parks, and on footpaths by erecting temporary tents near the Dasara Exhibition Grounds, Lalitha Mahal Palace ground and other places. They have no proper facility for toilet or bathing. They also occupy abandoned dilapidated buildings. For the Mysuru District Administration, which spends over Rs 40 crore for Dasara, making arrangement of shelter for migrants should not be a big task. They can charge them nominally or even arrange through sponsorships," said an NGO member.
Ningaraj Malladi, Mysuru district convenor, Dalitha Sangarsha Samithi, said, many of these migrants have no documents or identity for either births or death. "The government should take measures to rehabilitate them on a permanent basis. Earlier, the Wadiyar Maharajas built dasoha bhavanas, thangu daanas, and choultries to accommodate travellers and destitutes. Similarly, the district administration should build a choultry. There is a nomads cell in the Social Welfare department and the officer concerned should maintain a register of the nomads who come to the city during occasions like Dasara and make necessary arrangements. The department should guide them on available facilities," he said.
Noted child rights activist Vasudeva Sharma said, "The government can arrange shelters on the lines of destitute centres or relief centres. The government should create awareness on necessary safety measures for women and children. Like they had put bands with QR codes on the hands of children and senior citizens in Prayagraj during the Kumbhamela in Uttar Pradesh, the district administration can attach bands to children of these nomads too".
Mission manager DAY NULM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission) J S Bhyralingaiah informed that they have centres to accommodate destitutes and beggars, but there is no separate centre yet to accommodate migrants. "The Central government is issuing new guidelines to states to provide accommodation to migrant nomads; to gig workers and to also transgenders. The state governments should identify lands for it," he said.
Mysuru District in-charge Minister H C Mahadevappa said that he would take up the matter with the government to make arrangements for accommodation and food of such nomads/migrants to cities like Mysuru during peak tourists' seasons.
Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) Chairman K Naganna Gowda said that he would write a letter to the government, Mysuru Dasara Executive Committee, Mysuru DC and Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Commissioner on taking measures to accommodate migrant nomads, especially their children to take care of their nutrition, education and safety. "Earlier, there used to be bridge schools in all districts, where migrants used to drop their children when they went for work and picked them back in the evening. If they can arrange temporary tent schools for children of mahouts and kaavadis of Dasara elephants, they can make similar arrangements for these people. Besides organising Dasara, they should take up such welfare measures too," he said.
D Srihari of FOAM (Federation of Oraganisations and Associations of Mysuru) said that they would take up a proposal, in the meeting of FOAM, to make arrangement on behalf of FOAM for migrant nomads during peak tourist season.