Delhi Government gets severe jolt; SC directs the governemet to provide shelter.
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Some relief is expected for the homeless sleeping on the cold pavements in Delhi as the Supreme Court directs the Delhi government to provide shelter with immediate effect. By Pallab Ghosh
At last some respite comes for those compelled to sleep in the open on pavements and roads in the cold. The Delhi government which is spending exorbitantly over the beautification of the roads and pavements seem to have forgotten the basic humanity and went on a demolition spree of a night shelter. Delhi-ites who felt pride in holding the games have turned bitter facing serious inconvenience over the ongoing construction and development in the city and showed concern over the issue by welcoming the judgment passed by the court on Wednesday.
It may be recalled that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), demolished a night shelter near Pusa Road on December 22 on the plea that it was an obstruction to traffic movement and hindrance in beautifying the road for the Commonwealth Games. The issue raised eyebrows among the civilized society and was followed by the media compelling the judiciary to act in a haste which was turning it back to the 'beautifying drive going overboard in the city.
A division bench comprising of chief justice Ajit Prakash Shah and justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw expressing their dissatisfaction over the ongoing beautification drive and came down heavily on the Delhi government questioning the need to spend so much money on roads and pavements. “Is this beautification going to increase the prestige of the Delhi government for that you can throw women and children on the streets without shelter in this cold winter night”. The bench which turned the ire on the Delhi government further asked does the beautification of pavements and streets hold more importance to the government than poor lives ending up on roads due to bitting cold. “The government is beautifying every pavement in every nook and cornet in the city. Will the visitors during the games going to examine the entire area”, asked the bench.
According to an estimate, nearly one lakh people are homeless. The bench taking serious note of the situation called the state council and asked how much the government was spending on the beautification project in the city. “According to Master Plan of 2021 there is a provision to build 150 permanent night shelters to which the government is evading its responsibilities and is busy beautifying roads and pavements”, commented the bench.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi government to act with immediate effect and provide shelter to the homeless. The bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari asked the government to provide food to the downtrodden as most of the deaths relating to cold were on account of malnourishment. The bench further said that if required then the government should allow these homeless people to stay in the government premises and also be provided with basic amenities like blankets, medicines and woolens. It also demanded an explanation from the Shiela government asking why BPL cards were still not issued to the homeless.
The apex court said the secretary, food and civil supplies, should appear before the bench at 2 pm so that appropriate orders could be passed in this regard. The apex court passed the directions on a PIL filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), complaining that the Delhi administration had failed to provide adequate shelter and food to the homeless and the destitute.
