The Indian Express             09.01.2014

After buses, govt looks at turning ship containers into shelters

After opening up abandoned buses to shelter the homeless, Urban Development Minister Manish Sisodia is now looking into a proposal to use shipping containers as shelters.

According to Sisodia, the practicality of this plan is being looked into so that proper ventilation and other such issues can be worked on.

"Several transporters came to see me and said they were willing to provide shipping containers that could be used as shelters. I am looking into the viability of this plan to see how proper ventilation and lighting can be provided in such containers. We are still working on this,'' Sisodia said on Wednesday. The transporters, apparently, offered their containers as shelters to the government free of cost.

To provide respite from the cold, abandoned buses in the city have been converted into shelters. Since Sunday, two such buses have been placed near the AIIMS Metro station.

An NGO is running the 'bus' shelters. Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) official said the night shelters would also provide blankets and mattresses.

Announcing the decision to "modify abandoned buses into night shelters", a post on the AAP's Facebook page stated, "The AAP has always believed in low-cost, innovative solutions and we will try our best to solve citizens' problems in a similar manner."

Porta cabins have also been set up in schools under the Delhi government.

In a survey by sub-divisional magistrates in 11 districts, over 4,000 people were found without a roof, battling the cold in nearly 200 spots across the capital.

The SDMs submitted a report stating that 4,018 homeless people at nearly 212 locations such as streets, below flyovers and Metro bridges, bus stops and along railway lines.