Delhi HC seeks night shelter plan for upcoming summer by March

The Delhi High Court directed DUSIB to create annual plans for night shelters to tackle extreme weather challenges, with a summer action plan due by March.

New Delhi

The matter will be next heard on April 6. (Representative photo)

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to draw up annual short-term plans to address the challenges faced by residents of night shelters near government hospitals during extreme cold and heatwaves, and to prepare a summer action plan for this year by March.

A bench comprising chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia issued the direction while dealing with a suo motu petition on inadequate night shelters in the Capital, prompted by a news report highlighting the poor conditions at a shelter located near AIIMS.

“Accordingly, we direct that every year a short-term plan be prepared by DUSIB in January and February for meeting the exigencies which the residents of Delhi may come across and may be implemented in May and June and if need be, in July and August as well. DUSIB shall take similar steps in the months of July and August, for the cold wave, and such a plan shall be implemented in December, January and February. However, the span will depend on the severity of the cold/heat wave,” the court said in its order.

It added, “We direct that the short-term plan (for this summer) be prepared by DUSIB by the end of March.”

This was after the PDSJ, in its meeting on January 24 with high-ranking officials of other authorities in the Capital, suggested directing DUSIB to regularly formulate plans for cold and heatwaves to address the exigencies faced by night shelter residents.

During the hearing, the court also directed DUSIB to accept an offer made by one of the intervenors, the Centre for Holistic Development, to provide 10 wheelchairs for residents of the night shelters.

AIIMS’s counsel, Satya Ranjan Swain, submitted that additional steps had been taken to enhance the capacity of night shelters, increasing the total number of beds to 1,699, along with proactive measures to provide basic amenities, including food.

The matter will be next heard on April 6.