Mysuru: The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) will soon hand over 63 parks in the city to women self-help groups (SHGs) for their maintenance under the Amrith Mitra scheme. It sent the proposal to the urban development department.This came after the urban body handed over 10 different parks in the city to the trained SHGs of the city for maintenance in the last 2 months.MCC handed over 10 parks to 6 SHGs, including Sammathi Sangha in Naidu Nagar, Srilakshmi Saraswathi Sangha in Rajiv Nagar, Noor SHG, Gulman SHG and Ya Habib SHG in Aziz Sait Nagar, and Annapoorneshwari SHG in Srirampur.These SHGs already started maintaining the following parks handed over by the MCC: Hyder Ali Park in ward mumber 9, the park behind Al Badr Mosque, Shivaji Park in ward number 29, Bandekallu Park in Sathgalli, Rajiv Gandhi Park in ward number 34, and Madhuvana Park in ward number 64.The SHG members started maintaining these parks after taking charge and receiving training provided by MCC. They clean, remove weeds, sweep, collect weeds, water the park, produce compost after piling up the waste, and maintain the park regularly as per the guidelines of the MCC horticulture department.Buoyed by its success, the city civic body has now initiated the handover of another 63 parks.The Amrith Mitra scheme not only aims at improving urban green space but also provides employment opportunities for women for their empowerment. There are 585 parks in the MCC jurisdiction.MCC maintains 382 parks through its horticulture department, 22 are maintained by corporate firms under corporate social responsibility funds, and several other parks are under the adoption scheme of the MCC.Under the Amrith Mitra scheme, the Union govt spent Rs 10 lakh directly to bank accounts of SHGs for maintaining the park allotted to them every year.MCC assistant director of Horticulture PK Mohankumar said that MCC recommended SHGs under the scheme to the state-level internal committee headed by the state urban development department. The SHG must maintain a clean financial management track record with active members for at least 3 years. The incentives will be deposited directly into the bank account of SHGs by the Union govt.MCC sent another proposal to the state internal committee of state urban development department, recommending another 63 parks in Mysuru which will be maintained by women SHGs. Once the internal committee of state urban development department gives the nod after taking approval from the Union govt under the scheme, MCC will train women SHGs and hand over the parks for their maintenance, he said.Speaking to TOI, Mysuru City Corporation commissioner Syed Asif Tanveer said MCC recommended another 63 parks in Mysuru, which will be maintained by SHGs, to both the state internal committee and Union govt under the scheme. The 6 SHGs which took charge have successfully maintained the parks allotted to them, he said.
