Reiterating that it was the government’s duty to provide shelter to the homeless who could not be left in the open in biting cold conditions, the Delhi high court on Tuesday asked the city government to ensure that all temporary night shelters run by it are functional.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw directed the city government and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) constituted by the MCD to ensure that all 84 temporary and 64 permanent shelters are operational and in good state in compliance with the court’s August 9 order.
“It shall be ensured that no such shelters are closed,” the bench said.
The court’s order came after the NGO Shahari Adhikar Manch apprised it of the closure of some night shelters even though the court had earlier rejected the Delhi government’s plea seeking closure of temporary shelters on the basis of its claim that they were causing huge losses to the state exchequer due to low occupancy.
As the government counsel told the bench that the existing night shelters had low occupancy as there were not too many homeless people, Justice Sikri mocked, “Close your eyes and there is no one homeless in this city.”
The bench rejected the government’s argument that a helpline has been set up to assist the homeless and even if some shelters are allowed to be shut, any homeless person contacting the helpline will be accommodated by the government in some or the other shelter.