The Hindu 12.02.2010
NDMC evicts 70 from home for the homeless
Staff Reporter
| The home, previously for women, was converted into a family shelter home from February 9 |
‘Civic body not letting families cook food in the home’
Cannot implement till a copy of the orders is received: NDMC
NEW DELHI: About 70 people belonging to homeless families staying at the New Delhi Municipal Council’s shelter home in Sarojini Nagar here since Tuesday have been rendered homeless again, according to Delhi-based non-government organisation Indo Global Social Service Society (IGSSS).
The shelter home, which was previously functioning as a women’s shelter home, was converted into a family shelter home with effect from February 9 following a Delhi High Court order. However, the NGO which was responsible for rehabilitating the families in the shelter home has now alleged that the civic body is failing to take cognisance of the subsequent High Court directions to convert it into a 24-hour shelter and also allow the families to cook in the home.
Meanwhile, the civic body claimed that it could not implement the directions till it received a written copy of the High Court orders.
Indu Prakash Singh of IGSSS said: “Despite the Delhi High Court directions to make the shelter home functional for 24 hours, the NDMC chased out the families from the home on Thursday morning. Moreover, the High Court decision on Thursday to allow the families to cook in their premises has also been ignored by the civic body.”
NDMC Act
“Even if the NDMC wants to wait for the written orders, the civic body has a discretionary obligatory function to provide for the poor, homeless and destitute as per the NDMC Act. However, they do not seem to be acting on it,” he added.
Thirty-year-old Pankhi said: “I moved to the shelter home with my family on Tuesday, but the shelter home administration did not let us cook our own food and told us only to sleep there during the night and vacate the home in the morning. We were forced to eat outside and our bedding and luggage were later dumped under the Raj Nagar flyover. I am a small vendor in Sarojini Nagar and will now have to live with my family under the flyover.”
An NDMC official said: “We have only received the court’s order directing us to convert the premises from a women’s shelter home to a family shelter home, which we have done. We have not received any court order directing us to make the shelter home functional for 24 hours and allow the residing families to cook. If we receive these orders by Monday, we will take action accordingly.”