How Delhi's poor are grappling with freezing cold

As a cold wave grips Delhi, the number of homeless taking refuge in night shelters has gone up exponentially. Currently, there are 253 buildings, tents and porta cabins being used as night shelters that can accommodate close to 19,000 people.

Days after Delhi lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena visited two night shelters near ISBT and Hanuman Mandir, near Kashmere Gate area, and found arrangements to be inadequate, the city government is constantly reviewing the situation.

According to various media reports, the L-G has transferred the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) CEO K Mahesh following L-G Saxena’s visit when he found the shelter to be inadequate as it accommodated only 600 people. The night shelter also lacked toilet facilities. However, officials, who insisted on confidentiality, said one cannot attribute the transfer as a follow-up to L-G’s visit.

A DUSIB official, who preferred to be anonymous said: “The shelters are built next to the Yamuna and constructing toilets or more shelters in the area is not possible, as the land is under the Delhi Development Authority. Moreover, the National Green Tribunal has banned construction activities on the flood plains.”

Also read: Delhi shivers at 7 degree Celsius as dense fog envelops North India

There are 195 shelters with a capacity to accommodate close to 19,000 people being run by NGOs. However, there are an estimated 1.5 lakh homeless people on the streets of Delhi. In a place like Yamuna Pushta, with a significant presence of daily wage labourers, drug addicts and alcoholics among the homeless, there is an urgent need for not just more shelters but also to initiate programmes involving skilling and de-addiction.

“I have been staying in the Yamuna Pushta shelter for the past six months. It is only during the months of November to January the place is overwhelmed with people. During summers, people again prefer staying outdoors. The government and the NGOs are doing enough for us. We are being provided meals three times a day. Blankets are also given to beat the extreme weather. What more can one ask?” said Mohri, a homeless person who resides in the camp.

“There must be a concerted attempt to skill these people and make them realise that providing shelter is just a temporary step and not a permanent solution. Government, civil society groups and citizens must work in tandem to solve the issue of homelessness,” said the in-charge of an NGO running the shelter.

Also read: Cold wave hits Delhi, dense fog lowers visibility

A caretaker in the community centre Kalkaji, near DDA flats said: “The government is doing enough to ensure basic facilities for them. In my shelter, there is no issue whatsoever. Food, blankets and other basic requirements are all taken care of.”

Explaining the issue of mismatch between the number of shelters and the homeless people in the capital, he said during winters there is a rapid surge among all the homeless people to find a shelter to beat the extreme cold, which is not the case during summers. During summers, despite the efforts of the government and the NGOs, many of them prefer to sleep elsewhere. Hence, there is a severe shortage of shelters during winters.

Unveiling its ‘winter action plan’, the Delhi government earlier this month ensured that the benefit of their night shelter facilities will reach the maximum number of people. The government has set up 195 centralised control rooms which work 24×7 and has also issued helpline numbers.