The Times of India      21.12.2010

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.