HYDERABAD: One of the major struggles people living on the street face everyday is finding a place to rest in the night. The struggle to find space does not leave them even after death. Representatives of NGOs who work for homeless people said that when a homeless person dies, staff at graveyards not allow the bodies to be cremated for free.
“In such situations, people who are part of homeless community and NGOs pool in money for cremation. It costs anywhere around `5,000 for the process. When we took this issue to the notice of GHMC staff, they assured us that officials concerned will be informed about it, but nothing happens,” said K Anuradha, director of Rainbow Foundation, an NGO for homeless boys and girls.
When they are alive, the issues faced by homeless people vary depending on the age and gender. Children (boys and girls) and women who live along roads are under threat of sexual attacks, abuses. According to a sample survey, there are around 7,000 people who are homeless in Hyderabad, said Arunmayi, state programme officer, Rainbow Foundation. “However, the number could be more than 7,000. A lot of people come to the city, and some leave. So the number is dynamic,” she said. With lack of identity cards, it’s not only jobs that homeless people lose out on, they are not allowed to rent homes, or rooms at lodges.