TIRUCHY: Several projects have been proposed for the beautification and infrastructure development of Tiruchy under the Smart City project. However, there are reportedly very few projects for the hundreds of street dwellers found across the city. Most of these people, staying under bridges, along the roadside and waiting sheds for buses at night, have said that it would be a great help if the Corporation's upcoming Council constructs a shelter at least for women and senior citizens living on the streets.
According to sources, there are three shelter homes in the city -- on EB Road, Bharathiyar Road and Madurai Road. However, these facilities are not of much use to all homeless people because a person needs an identity card and local reference to stay in here. These shelters are mostly meant for poor passengers and others visiting the city. Some of the officials also cited safety reasons for insisting on identity cards. Besides, these shelters can accommodate only a maximum of 150 people and there are about 1,500 homeless people in the city. Therefore, even if the Corporation announces some relaxations, the existing shelters are not sufficient to accommodate all these people.
"A person has to produce some identity card and also a local reference for staying in the shelters. We are insisting on these to ensure the safety of people who come here, who are mostly senior citizens and have left their homes due to various reasons. They might stay here for a or two and then move to another district," an employee of one of the shelters in the city said.
However, some senior citizens who have left their homes due to personal reasons are not interested in giving any local reference for stay at these shelters.
Srirangam has many such people and they believe that the Corporation's upcoming Council should consider this issue.
"I left my home due to my difference of opinion with my children. They are not interested to know my plight and I am surviving in the city with the help of a few kind-hearted people. Therefore, I am not interested in contacting my relatives or giving their reference. There are many people like me. So, it would be a great help for women and senior citizens if the Corporation constructs a shelter where the homeless can stay without producing any identity card or reference.
But, who would listen to us," asked Karpagavalli, a senior citizen staying on the streets in Srirangam.
Some of the homeless people said the Corporation could even consider installing CCTV cameras for ensuring safety. "Many of us don't have any identity card or local references. There are some drug addicts and those with criminal backgrounds staying on the streets. We would like to get access to a shelter to escape from their attack. So, it would be a great help if the new Council constructs a safe shelter for us," Palani, a homeless man staying near the Gandhi Market, said.