Even as the authorities claim that the temporary night shelter has been “temporarily shut” as it has no takers, a family of migrants sleeps in front of a shop less than 100 metres away from the locked shelter.
After the Supreme Court cracked the whip last year, urban local bodies conducted a survey of people who slept on the pavement. Also in keeping with the court's directions, all urban local bodies were told to set up temporary night shelters and make arrangements for permanent ones. The shelter is supposed to remain open at night so that homeless people would have a place to sleep.
Mangalore City Corporation officials said more than 1,300 people were found sleeping in the open during the survey.
Although, the shelter was inaugurated on September 22, it remains closed, and there appears to be confusion about how it should be run.
Commissioner of the corporation Harish Kumar told The Hindu that the corporation had entrusted the functioning of the shelter to a non-governmental organisation, Sameeksha Trust, which claimed that nobody turned up to use the shelter. A separate area had been set up in the ward office of the corporation near Car Street for women to sleep.
Managing trustee of Sameeksha Trust Reshma Ullal told The Hindu that there were no takers for the shelter. Some people, who used the shelter initially, had returned to their villages. The NGO had suggested during a meeting with the corporation that banners be put up about the night shelter facility across the city, she said.
Ms. Ullal said that the NGO could not bring people to the shelter as it would be “an offence”. Only the corporation officials or the police had the authority to bring people to the shelter.
Mr. Kumar said that people were not aware of the shelter. The police would be requested to guide such people to the shelter.
Mr. Kumar said that according to the Supreme Court guidelines, the NGO was supposed to make arrangements for free or low-cost food and install lockers and television sets in the rooms.
However, Ms. Ullal said no such instruction had been conveyed to her. She claimed that it was the trust which had suggested that food be served to people in permanent shelters. There should be a qualified person to deal with people who could have psychological problems, she added.
Considering these aspects, the shelter is unlikely to reopen soon. While Mr. Kumar said: “Everything will be set right” by next week, Ms. Ullal said that the shelter would be reopened on December 1.
