NEW DELHI: Over 200 people have died on the streets of Delhi since the start of summer this year, but the Delhi government is yet to wake up and put its summer action plan in place to save lives of those running for cover from the heat. As per a report compiled by the NGO, Centre for Holistic Development, based on the official data, 203 homeless people were found dead since April 1.
In summer, the occupancy rate in Delhi’s 200 night shelters drops to just 10 per cent because of lack of upkeep.
Former judge Kailash Gambhir, chairman of Committee for Shelters for Urban Homeless constituted by the Supreme Court, wrote to Commissioner of Police Amulya Patnaik and Chief Secretary of Delhi government M M Kutty last week.
“The standards of the shelters are not up to the mark. No one can even stand there for a few seconds as they are full of mosquitoes,” wrote Gambhir, adding that hundreds prefer to sleep on pavements.
There are over 16,000 homeless people in Delhi.
“As the temperature rises, the shelters become unbearable. There are no fans. The number of deaths keep increasing and the government fails to come up with any workable solution,” said Sunil Aledia, member of Centre for Holistic Development. The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) under the state urban development ministry headed by Satyendra Jain, has decided to implement a summer action plan for the first time, which will be in force till July. With an annual budget of `35 crore, DUSIB maintains 201 shelters, which includes 118 porta cabins.
To attract the homeless to stay in the shelters, DUSIB has decided to install TV sets in them as well as mosquito nets on doors and windows. “As far as I know, no death due to heat stroke has been reported,” V K Jain, Chief Executive Officer, DUSIB told The Sunday Standard.