Provide facilities to homeless, lactating women in Delhi: Court

The Delhi High Court Friday directed the city government to provide food and medical facilities to homeless pregnant and lactating women residing at shelter homes here.

Justice Manmohan, clarifying his earlier order, directed the Delhi government to ensure hygienic living conditions, continue to provide three meals a day, and provide a room for women's health checkups for pregnant and lactating women and "not other women".

"It is, however, clarified that the respondent (Delhi government) shall provide facilities as directed by this court only to pregnant and lactating ladies as well as their dependents," said the court.

The court's direction came on a plea filed by Delhi government seeking its clarification of the earlier order where it asked government to provide facilities to pregnant and lactating women. The government told the court that homeless people from other states have come here and have been residing here for many years.

Despite repeated requests, they have not been vacating the shelters and residing there permanently, said the government while asking court to clarify its order that food and shelter facilities in that shelter homes was ordered for pregnant and lactating women only.

Earlier a contempt plea was filed by Priya Kale, who resides in Motia Khan shelter home, alleging that she had lost her two-month-old baby due to inhuman conditions in the shelter home.

Seeking the court's intervention for better living and medical facilities at the shelter homes, Kale had moved the court after which it gave certain directions to provide facilities to pregnant and lactating women.

However, the government failed to comply with the court's order and Kale moved contempt petition against city government.

The petition had stated that the conditions in shelter home was hostile for homeless pregnant and lactating women and their children who are an especially vulnerable group of persons within the homeless community.