DUSIB starts verification drive at shelters in Delhi

The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), in collaboration with the Delhi Police, started a verification drive last week at its 198 night shelters to keep track of the homeless who are taking refuge at these shelters across the city

The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), in collaboration with the Delhi Police, started a verification drive last week at its 198 night shelters to keep track of the homeless who are taking refuge at these shelters across the city.

Of the 198 night shelters, 82 are permanent buildings, 103 are portable cabins, three are temporary buildings and 10 are locations under special camps. (HT Archive)

Officials are handing over the details to the police for verification who will send a compiled report to DUSIB regarding the inhabitants. Officials said around 15 shelters have already been inspected in the joint drive which began at the Sarai Kale Khan shelter. The entire process is expected to take about a month, added officials.

The details regarding identification, gender and where the inhabitants hail from will be updated during the drive. There has been an increase in the number of encroachment removal drives in the past few months, leading to a marginal increase in occupancy in these shelters as well, DUSIB officials said.

“We have not conducted a thorough checking in the past few years, and we need to keep track of the inhabitants at the shelter. Once the details are verified, police will compile a detailed report,” said a DUSIB official, adding that such drives are not mandatory.

Apart from the night shelters, DUSIB also looks after 675 notified slums or JJ clusters across the city. Officials said that verification drives will be conducted in these areas as well to check if the occupants have valid identity proofs and other details.

DUSIB is primarily responsible for improving the quality of the life of slum and JJ dwellers in Delhi, whose population is estimated to be around 14 million.