HC seeks report from Delhi govt on night shelters

The Delhi High Court today asked the city government to file a report along with additional documents on the status of night shelters, meant for homeless persons, in the national capital.
"We will certainly pass directions after going through the report and documents," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said and fixed the plea for hearing on October 14.
Senior advocate Jayant Bhushan, appearing for an NGO, said that more permanent night shelters were required in the city as homeless people could still be seen sleeping on roads.
"Moreover, the winter is approaching and the earlier orders on increasing and maintaining such facilities have not been followed by various authorities," he said.

The lawyer referred to a central government's 2013 scheme on Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUH) and said as per this, each person is to be provided a minimum space of 50 square feet apart from permanent shelters having basic infrastructure facilities like water supply, sanitation, safety and security.
However, at present, only 15 square feet is available for a homeless in such shelters, he said.

The court then asked the counsel for Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board's (DUSIB) to take instruction and file a fresh affidavit with additional documents.
Earlier, one of the NGOs, 'Shahri Adhikar Manch Begharon Ke Liye' had told the court that more permanent night shelters were required in the city for homeless people.

The DUSIB, in response, had said it has received several plots in the city and was in the process of constructing permanent shelters there, apart from the 184 night shelters - permanent and temporary - it has already set up.
The NGOs had also alleged that while DUSIB claims to pay Rs 53,000 per month towards upkeep of bigger shelters, some of them (NGOs) are only getting Rs 35,000.
DUSIB on its part submitted that it is difficult for it to provide medical amenities for pregnant and lactating women at all shelters and said that the one at Sarai Kale Khan has such facilities.

The court is hearing a case it took up on its own after media reports highlighted the absence of enough and proper night shelters for the homeless in the city.