Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) The capital’s civic agencies got a pat on the back from the apex court Monday for putting up night shelters promptly during the intense winter. Expressing satisfaction that no death was recorded in Delhi despite the severe winter because of the night shelters, the court remarked: “We hope that the apex court is not once again called to intervene for putting up night shelters for the roofless during the winter.”

The apex court bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice Deepak Verma made the observation while bringing down the curtains on the hearing on night shelters case.

“We were shivering in our house,” said Justice Verma, adding, “If this is happening to us, what would have been happening to those (roofless people)?”

Justice Bhandari complimented the Additional Solicitor (ASG) General Mohan Prasaran and senior counsel for the petitioner Colin Gonsalves for the commendable job they had done.

The court told ASG Prasaran that he should take up the matter at the highest level to ensure that the infrastructure created for night shelters is further augmented and strengthened.

ASG Prasaran was asked to check with the Delhi government on what it could do in putting up permanent structures in the city for night shelters as one time investment. The court said these pucca structures should have drinking water, separate washrooms for men and women, medical facilities and arrangements for their security.

Going back to the state of affairs when the court took up the case of night shelters, Justice Bhandari said if this was the case in Lutyens Delhi housing the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, Prime Minister’s House, Lok Sabha Speaker’s house then what would be the plight of the roofless people in other parts of the country.

However, the court expressed satisfaction that local bodies particularly NDMC rose to the occasion and did the needful. However, the court wanted Delhi government and municipal bodies to act on a healthcare plan for the people living in night shelters or otherwise.

Meanwhile, the court asked the remaining states to hold joint inspection of night shelters in their states by Jan 28 and submit their report to the court.