The three night shelters that were set ablaze at Kashmere Gate in April and are yet to be renovated have again become roof for several homeless who have nowhere else to go.
Mukesh (50), a differently abled man, said that after he lost his leg in 2011, his family members threw him out of the house in Sonipat after which he lived in a shelter in Dwarka where he was also undergoing treatment.
However, at the beginning of the lockdown, he was asked to leave after which he came to the Kashmere Gate shelter.
“When it was set on fire, we were all shifted to a school but a month later, we were asked to leave from there too. Because we had nowhere else to go, we came back here,” he said.
Talking about the condition of the shelter, a caretaker, who didn’t wish to be identified, said that it’s not yet been reconstructed, the mattresses which were burnt are still there and water drips through the roof which has holes because of the blaze.
Full capacity
“About 450-500 people are sleeping in these burnt shelter without any facilities. There are eight shelters here but homeless people come here because the other five are full. It’s either raining these days or there’s scorching heat. They have nowhere else to go,” he said.
“Paani barasta hai lekin utna nahin jitna bahar barasta hai, Idhar udhar hokar so jaate hain [Water drips but not as much as it pours outside. We manage to sleep],” said Rahul, another homeless.
No action so far
At the three shelters run by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), no record is maintained because “officially” they’re not functional.
When asked if officials have come to take note of the situation, he said that they come occasionally but nothing has been done so far.
“They have been coming to take stock of the situation but reconstruction or renovation hasn’t started. Two officials came as latest as 10 days ago, but no action has been taken,” he said.
DUSIB director
When contacted, DUSIB director (night shelter) N.H. Sharma said that he’ll comment only after ascertaining the facts of the matter.
Three shelter homes on Yamuna Pushta at Kashmere Gate were set ablaze on April 11 after occupants and civil defence volunteers got into a heated argument during food distribution. Stone throwing was reported between residents of the shelter homes and the police. An FIR was registered and seven persons were arrested.
