Basic living condition in night shelters below satisfactory: DSLSA tells HC

The DSLSA said the night shelters lacked sanitizers, masks, basic first aid, bedding and there was shortage of washrooms and the hygiene conditions were poor there. The findings were contained in a status report placed before a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad pursuant to its direction to DSLSA on August 18 to find out whether there was any need to continue with the hunger relief camps, providing dry ration to the non-PDS beneficiaries and providing cooked food to those who are using night shelters run by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB).

The Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) on Thursday informed the Delhi High Court that basic living conditions were "below satisfactory" in the night shelters run in the national capital by the urban shelter improvement board. The DSLSA said the night shelters lacked sanitizers, masks, basic first aid, bedding and there was shortage of washrooms and the hygiene conditions were poor there.

The findings were contained in a status report placed before a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad pursuant to its direction to DSLSA on August 18 to find out whether there was any need to continue with the hunger relief camps, providing dry ration to the non-PDS beneficiaries and providing cooked food to those who are using night shelters run by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). The August 18 direction was issued on an application filed by NGO Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan seeking direction to the Delhi government, represented by its additional standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal, to resume the scheme of providing dry ration under the Mukhya Mantri Corona Sahayata Yojna or any other scheme.

The plea also sought direction to continue accepting e-coupon applications, to continue operating kiosks/helpdesks for facilitating the applicants for receiving the benefit of dry ration and to ensure resumption of hunger relief centres for providing hot cooked meals.   After inspecting 54 DUSIB-run night shelters across the city, DSLSA has said in its report that "it was observed and noticed that the living conditions in some of the night shelters are below satisfactory from the point of view of basic living conditions, especially in the current times when the country is combating a pandemic". After perusing the report, the bench asked DUSIB to file a status report answering the "specific deficiencies" found by DSLSA with regard to how the shelters were being maintained and listed the matter for hearing on October 13.

DSLSA, in its report, has said that "basic necessities required, particularly during this time of pandemic, such as sanitizers, masks and gloves were not made available to the occupants in some of the night shelters". It further said that most of the night shelters did not have the means to provide basic first aid, there was shortage of washrooms and poor hygienic conditions were also observed. "There is an imminent need for deep cleaning and sanitization of washrooms in these night shelters which were found to be emitting foul smell. The foul smell was even reaching the sleeping areas. Not only this, due to the pathetic condition of washrooms, some of the children were also seen urinating in open areas. "Moreover, the facility of night shelters being open for all has resulted in occupancy of the shelter homes by some miscreants. The inspection of the night shelters and the reports received from the secretaries of the districts revealed that some drug addicts are staying in night shelters homes of Kirti Nagar and Khayala. "However, the night shelters have no means and mechanisms for treating, de-addiction or handling with care of such persons. These night shelters also lack mechanism to provide any kind of rehabilitation to these drug addicts." the report has said.

Besides that, in some of the night shelters the occupants were found to be sleeping on the floor without mattresses, and some shelters were found to be overcrowded to an extent that the occupants were found sleeping in open verandahs, it has also said. Not only adults, but minor children occupying the night shelters along with their families were also found sleeping on the floors of the shelters without mattresses, which were not provided to them. The provisions for beddings in the shelter homes of DUSIB were found to be inadequate. "Sleeping of beneficiaries and occupants of night shelters, including minor children, on floor without mattresses is alarming because the night shelters of DUSIB were also found to be infested by rodents," the DSLSA has said in its report.

With regard to the food provided at the shelters, the report states that people residing there are primarily satisfied with the quantity and quality of the cooked meals provided to them. "However, a few people, who claimed to be daily wagers made complaints regarding the quality of food provided stating it to be of very average quality," the report has said and added "there is need and requirement to continue to provide cooked food at night shelters to the occupants. However, appropriate directions, if deemed appropriate by this court, may be given to the concerned authorities to improve the quality of the food provided". With regard to continuing with hunger relief camps, the DSLSA report has advised against it saying that this system was put in place for the benefit of the migrant daily wagers who, after implementation of the phased relaxations of the lockdown, have managed to return to their native places The DSLSA has also advised against continuing to provide dry ration to the non-PDS beneficiaries under the Mukhya Mantri Corona Sahayata Yojana.   It has said in its report that majority of the beneficiaries under the scheme were the migrant daily wage labourers, who upon the phased relaxations of the lockdown and resumption of road and rail transport during the unlock have successfully moved out of Delhi and reached their native places.

The application was filed in the pending petition by the NGO challenging the decision to link ration cards with Aadhaar..