After spending over 24 hours in the open following their eviction from an old age home in Vasant Kunj, 135 destitute senior citizens have been given temporary shelter in Narela and an assurance of a permanent solution. One of the elderly passed away after being shifted to the temporary shelter on Wednesday.
The group, which included many bed-ridden, mentally or physically challenged elderly people, had camped along Nelson Mandela Marg opposite a couple of popular shopping malls in Vasant Kunj. They were evicted from the old age home, being run by NGO Earth Saviours Foundation in Green Avenue, as the lease granted to them five years ago had expired.
According to Earth Saviours Foundation president Ravi Kalra, all their efforts to secure an alternative location to shift the old and infirm persons did not bear fruit as despite repeated assurances no land was allotted to them.
Lease expired
“The lease expired a few months ago but with the permission of the landlord we continued living there until a deadline was set for us. On Tuesday morning the occupants left the premises of the farmhouse along with some of their belongings and took shelter at Nelson Mandela Marg,” said another representative of the NGO.
On Wednesday, Delhi Women & Child Development Minister Kiran Walia visited the area and spoke to both the representatives of the NGO and the homeless persons and assured them of help. She then offered temporary shelter at Seva Sadan in Narela and another location in Bindapur and the group chose the former.
The Minister also made arrangements for their transport to Outer Delhi as three buses and an ambulance were pressed into service. Ms. Walia said she would ensure that the needy get an alternative piece of land for the construction of a new old age home as soon as possible.
The representative said since South Delhi has many facilities for the senior citizens and most of the NGO staff members also come from the area, they wished that the new location is close to the previous one.
