New Delhi, Jan 13, IRNA — Naveen, a rickhsaw puller and one among the approximately 150,000 homeless people in Delhi was found dead in a park by his friends two days ago. His threadbare garments – a thin cardigan and a torn trouser- failed to protect him from the biting cold.
Like Naveen, Bhima, a balloon seller, had been found dead on the roadside a few weeks earlier. He too could not brave the chilly winter.
Fighting a battle of survival, as the minimum temperatures continue to remain low, only five to seven per cent of the homeless people in the capital manage to find refuge in shelters, run either by government or non-governmental organisations.
The inadequate numbers of night shelters in the capital are leading to deaths for homeless people, who are there in numbers, claim NGOs.
According to a PTI, presently Delhi has 40 night shelters — 25 run by the MCD and 15 temporary structures run by the Delhi government for roughly 150,000 homeless people. Of these only two are for for women and children, says NGO Ashraya Adhikar Abhiyan (AAA). Social organisations describe the situation as very grave.
“Only five per cent to seven per cent of homeless people manage to find refuge in night shelters, which are run by either the government or the NGOs,” says Sanjay Kumar, Director Operations, AAA.
Finding a homeless fighting one of the coldest winters is not a tedious task. People like Naveen and Bhima are only two among countless who have been killed in the biting cold conditions.
For 56-year-old Janaki Tiwari who hails from Uttar Pradesh, struggle for existence begins at 5 pm every evening. Equipped with a thin sweater and a shawl, he braves the chilly winter in the capital sitting under a construction site of Delhi Metro.
“The government spends so much on development works and flyovers. Can’t they provide us refuge. It’s very difficult to survive in this winter,” he says.
Ragpicker Shyam Pandey, who shares a space with Tiwari, arrived in Delhi last year to earn for a better life. His job earns him not more than Rs 100. He says that he saves some waste newspapers and plastic items he picks to be used in bonfires to minimise the effect of cold.