Court asks government to publicise night shelters
February 17th, 2010 - 9:37 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the state government to give wide publicity about the availability of night shelters for homeless people in the capital.
Acting Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Mukta Gupta, who constituted a bench, directed the Delhi government to give wide publicity as to where the night shelters are located and inform homeless people about them.
The court also directed the Urban Rights Forum for the Homeless representative Miloon Kothari to prepare a short-term plan for the homeless in the city by Feb 24.
Asha Menon, member secretary of the Delhi Legal Services Authority, said she had visited four night shelters but many of them lacked basic amenities.
Earlier, the court pulled up the government for not taking proper care of the homeless.
The court suo motu took up a hearing based on a newspaper report highlighting the plight of people rendered homeless after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) demolished a structure on Pusa Road in west Delhi.
“Instead of providing shelter to the homeless, the officials forcefully threw away the belongings of families living in the shelter, saying they could only stay there at night. The majority of these families are forced to stay under a flyover during cold nights,” Kothari said.
There are about 150,000 homeless people in Delhi and the government runs 40 night shelters.
- Delhi not to restore demolished night shelters - Dec 19, 2011
- Ensure night shelter for Delhi's homeless, court tells MCD - Jan 13, 2010
- Court to MCD: Give shelter to people of demolished night centre - Jan 07, 2010
- Delhi government still not sheltering homeless: NGO - Feb 16, 2010
- Court ticks off MCD for demolishing night shelter (Lead) - Jan 06, 2010
- Court raps Delhi government on lack of night shelters - Feb 10, 2010
- Restart night shelters immediately: High court to Delhi government - Dec 13, 2011
- Court wants long-term plan for city's homeless - Jan 22, 2010
- Court pulls up MCD for demolishing night shelter - Jan 06, 2010
- Court orders basic facilities at shelter within 48 hours - Feb 02, 2011
- Supreme Court restrains Delhi Govt. from demolishing night shelters - Dec 15, 2010
- Give permanent shelter to homeless near Jama Masjid: Court - Mar 09, 2011
- Night shelters should stay till cold abates: Apex court (Lead) - Dec 15, 2010
- Insensitive, callous to demolish night shelters: Apex court (Lead) - Dec 16, 2010
- Razing night shelters in peak winter insensitive: Apex court - Dec 16, 2010
Tags: belongings, chief justice, cold nights, delhi government, delhi high court, flyover, gupta, kothari, member secretary, mukta, municipal corporation of delhi, municipal corporation of delhi mcd, New Delhi, newspaper report, plight, publicity, rights forum, shelters for homeless people, state government, west delhi