The Times of India 21.12.2010
DDA razes but hurriedly restores another shelter
NEW DELHI: The state
government in keeping with the directions of the high court convened a
coordination meeting with all civic agencies and heads of departments
concerned with winter arrangements for the homeless on Monday .
Ironically on the sameday ,DDA allegedly razed an under-construction
night shelter in a park near the famous Hanuman Murti close
totheJhandewalan Metrostation around 11.00am.
It is noteworthy that the coordination meeting was on at Delhi Secretariat when there was an attempt to pull down the shelter at Jhandewalan . The engineer member of DDA, Ashok Khurana
, was present at the meeting chairedby thechief secretary . Shocked
authorities later apprised him of the demolition and sought his
intervention . Theshelter was raisedlater in the evening . Last week, Delhi high court had lashed out at the state government for demolition of night shelters at Nehru Place and Kalkaji .
The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognizanceof reportsin TOI and had
asked the state and the civic agencies to put their housein order
.Chiefsecretary Rakesh Mehta scheduled the meeting for 11am on Monday .
All civic agencies , including DDA, MCD, NDMC and DJB, were present .
The head of Delhi Urban Improvement Shelter Board Amarnath , secretary
social welfare , Manoj Parida , and Dr Amod Kumar from mother NGO for
homeless St Stephen’s Hospital were also present . NGO Ashray Adhikar
Abhiyan (AAA) was in for a shock when the DDA staff tried to prevent the
construction of the night shelter . ” We told the official who came to
stop us about the Supreme Court and high court orders . We informed him
that the Board was in the know of things . There are about 200 homeless
people living here . The DDA ground staff refused to listen and
askedfor orders .Later on , they landed at the place with police and
brought down one of the tents that had been put up . We informed our
seniors at the NGO who then took up the matter with the authorities ,”
said Prashant Singh
from AAA. He said DDA staff stood guard throughout the day to prevent
the shelter from coming up . They however made a quick U-turn at 4.00pm.
The shelter was allowedtocome andby nightthe facility was set up , he
added . Attempts to contact the DDA engineer member failed .
Meanwhile , chief secretary Rakesh Mehta asked all agencies to issue
advisories regarding night shelters and ensure that a humane approach is
adopted in such matters . He also asked the agencies to have nodal
officers who could coordinatetheexercises atthe groundlevel .Theheadsof
the agencies offered to be nodal coordinators on this matter .
MNGO made a presentation on the winter arrangements so far . It pointed
out that out of the 84 temporary shelters to be set up this winter , 75
have already been set up.
