The Hindu 16.12.2010
Set up night shelters within three days, Court tells DDA
| DDA pulled up for demolishing shelters built on its land |
NEW DELHI: Observing that “it is the obligation of the public authorities concerned to provide night shelters to the Capital's homeless in view of the chilly winter'', the Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued directions to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to set up temporary night shelters within three days.
The Court also pulled up DDA for demolishing certain night shelters built on its land in the past couple of days. However, it expressed satisfaction when counsel for DDA informed that it had chalked out a plan to build 84 night shelters across the city for the homeless.
A Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Manmohan also directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council and DDA to provide basic amenities in the existing night shelters immediately. The Bench asked the Member-Secretary of the Delhi Legal Services Authority to visit the shelters within a week and submit a report on the conditions there.
It directed the Chief Secretary of Delhi to meet the heads of the civic agencies and DDA to take stock of the shelters. The Bench passed the directions on a pending petition on demolition of some night shelters last year. It had taken up the matter for hearing suo motu on the basis of media reports on the demolition of a night shelter on Pusa Road and the State Government and the civic bodies doing nothing to protect the homeless from the cold.
The Court last year directed the Delhi Chief Secretary to draw up a plan to construct 144 permanent shelters for the homeless in consultation with the civic bodies and DDA as per the Master Plan for Delhi-2021.
The matter will come up for hearing in January.
