Mysore:

MGP:  Lifeline to citizens’ problems since 1989  

by K.B. Ganapathy

Madhu had two children, M. Tara and M. Bhaskara. After they completed their CBSE X, he admitted them to vocational courses at DMS in 1989. He had seen an advertisement in Star of Mysore by Demonstration Multipurpose School (DMS) that these courses were recognised by the government of India.

However, when his children completed their studies and got their certificates, he found that because of the failure on the part of RCE to get them recognised by the State government, they could not get jobs. It was then that he decided to approach MGP seeking help.

Usually MGP does not help individual cases. Since Madhu was illiterate and did not have one to help, MGP took his cause. He used to come to office by bike from RCE campus in the night and wait patiently for MGP members, says Dr. Bhamy Shenoy. “Even today I remember how he used to wait when MGP was closed. Some times he might have returned without meeting anyone. I do not know how many times he must have travelled to MGP office,” says Dr. Bhamy Shenoy trying to recollect the past.

“We first wrote to RCE and DMS officials. When it did not produce any results, we complained to Consumer Court in Mysore in 1993. They gave a judgement in favour of Madhu’s children in 1997. They gave an award of Rs 10,000 in each case finding fault with RCE. RCE went on appeal to State Consumer Court which again ruled in favour of Madhu in 2001. They then went on appeal to the National Commission,” recalls Dr. Bhamy Shenoy.

As Dr. Shenoy could recall, Madhu won the case at the National level also and RCE appealed to the Supreme Court.

In the mean time, as the case was going through, Madhu died. His children contacted MGP and it continued to help them. However, MGP did not think they got any compensation despite all our efforts. Bhaskara, despite his qualification, ended up as a day labourer and Thara worked as a seamstress. This is our justice system.

Though this was not the biggest achievement of MGP, which over the past 25 years has fought many battles for the consumers and the citizens of Mysore City, the case is suggestive of the sincerity of purpose with which MGP takes up any common cause or a complaint that comes before it.

Mysoreans are familiar with the city’s renowned-NGO Mysore Grahakara Parishat which was set up on March 15, 1989. It will be celebrating its silver jubilee in March 2014 and plans are underway.

MGP, like all well-intentioned organisations for common cause, had its own birth pangs. The first impediment came from the Government itself. Instead of playing the role of a facilitator in a Democratic Welfare State like ours, the Sub-Registrar’s office where the founders of MGP went to register the organisation as a society, found the officer their first road block. Dr. Bhamy, Dr. Parpia and others of the first seven members of MGP registered their first protest, in their long 25 years journey, in the Sub- Registrar’s Office !

Dr. Bhamy called the District Registrar to complain with no result except the assurance that he would look into it. When this was mentioned to the then Congress MLA D. Jayadevaraja Urs, the politician, as if by habit, said he would get it done. Dr. Bhamy refused the offer saying no such influence should be used.

The Deputy Commissioner was approached. The DC was requested to tell the Sub-Registrar not to make them visit his office again and again to give one document or the other; instead, ask the Sub-Registrar to give a checklist of documents he required so that they would furnish the same to him in one visit. They also said no bribe would be paid as a matter of principle. This worked and then came into existence the MGP.

Interestingly, the same group of good Samaritans of MGP had also formed an organisation called Mysore Lokswaraj Andolan to fight for civic rights, environment etc. However, this was ruined when certain persons with vested interest came to occupy the office of President and Secretary. The organisation died a natural death; of course, not without a Court battle.

According to Dr. Bhamy Shenoy whom this writer met, there are 687 members in MGP. Out of this, 676 members are life members and there are 11 annual members as on March 31, 2013. The members meet regularly once in a month at Dr. Bhamy Shenoy’s residence. Though there are 687 members, about 25 members who are active attend the meeting.

Over the years, MGP has fought many battles. Some may be mentioned here: The greening of the barren land around the Lakshmikanth Temple in Hebbal Industrial Area; the court battle fought against City Corporation to prevent it from constructing buildings inside the Cheluvamba Park; preventing the unholy barter deal the City Corporation and the Government of Karnataka had entered into in the matter of constructing a Public Library in the People’s Park with a land developer in exchange for leasing out a huge area of the park by the side of the main road free of cost for constructing a shopping complex and helped to conserve Kukkarahalli, Lingambudi, Hebbal, Bogadi and Karanji lakes.

Similarly, MGP had taken up steps to control air pollution in certain industrial areas. It was primarily responsible for closing down a lead battery factory which was polluting the air causing health hazard to the people living in the surrounding areas. It was the time when the unscrupulous elements in the society were selling petrol by adding lead into it to improve the petrol octane rating which enables the vehicle to run faster. It is a worst pollutant of the atmosphere. Happily these days lead-free petrol is also available.

At present MGP is pre-occupied with the Mysore Master Plan 2031 and also the issues related to JNNURM and JUSCO.

Asked about the nature of calls MGP receives, Dr. Bhamy Shenoy says there is a variety ranging from a complaint against dry cleaners, telephone exchange, electricity, water supply, MRP issue to such major issues like garbage accumulation and disposal and the Master Plan.

To run an NGO of this kind, it is imperative to have advocates to take matters to Court where it is unavoidable and inevitable. When asked if MGP has a panel of advocates, Dr. Bhamy says yes. It has right now four advocates on their panel and their service is free because MGP is an NGO. However, MGP gives them out-of-pocket expenses.

The MGP has for all its 25 years in the service of the tax payers of Mysore city has about Rs. 15 lakh, raised from the membership fee, put in Fixed Deposit. The interest derived from this is used for filing PIL, buying stationeries, to meet travel expenses and more importantly to publish its monthly newspaper called ‘Grahaka Pathrike’ in Kannada.

At present MGP has an Executive Committee of nine members. The new Executive Committee of Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) was installed at its 24th annual general body meeting held recently.

The nine-member Committee, which will serve for the period 2013-2016, consists of Prof. R. Chandra Prakash, President; Ashok Kacker, Working-President; Vishwas Krishna, Secretary; K.R. Seshadri, Treasurer; Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) S.G. Vombatkere, B.V. Shenoy, Uma Shenoi, Prof. S. Sobana and Prof. S. Sekhar, are Executive Committee Members.

When MGP was registered on March 15, 1989 the Founder-Members were Dr. H.A.B. Parpia, who recently passed away, President; Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy, Working-President, who has offered the cellar of his house free for running the office of MGP; D.K. Ranganathan, a retired Railway employee, Treasurer and A.K. Ranganathan, Secretary.

It may be interesting to mention here how politicians pursue their personal agenda, well reinforced with a big ego, that often affect the developmental works, discourage those who want to take up social service and sometimes even embarrass the lesser mortals.

It appears the Treasurer and Founder-Member of MGP D.K. Ranganathan was also a social activist at Metagalli, where he lived. The simple folks of the area with a sense of gratitude named a park in that area after Ranganathan. However, the politician changed the name of the park to his own name. No comments.

May the MGP, a torch-bearer for Mysore city as an NGO when there was none, grow from strength to strength.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 01st, 2013