Locked doors and empty rooms: Delhi’s one-stop centres are falling apart

Delhi's One Stop Centres for women in distress are plagued by neglect, lack of funding, and inadequate staff, failing to provide promised support.

At first glance, the gate on Jail Road near Central Jail No. 1 looks like any other—wide, a little worn, bearing a small blue board that reads “Nirmal Chhaya Complex.” It’s easily missed in the swirl of west Delhi’s traffic unless you know exactly what to look for. But this nondescript entrance leads to one of the city’s One Stop Centres (OSC)—facilities meant to be sanctuaries for women in distress, offering immediate access to legal aid, counselling, shelter, and support under one roof.

The one stop centre at Lok Nayak Hospital is an exception as it boasts a clean, fully equipped shelter with AC rooms, on-site staff housing, and a dedicated vehicle. (Sanchit Khanna/HT photo)

But finding it isn’t easy. Entry to the Tihar Prison Complex, where this west district OSC is located, is tightly controlled. No one is allowed in without valid identification. For a woman fleeing a violent home, that single requirement can become a wall too high to scale.

“I couldn’t find the place at all,” said a woman who eventually made it to the centre. “I had to call 181 to get the exact location.”

Launched in November 2019, OSCs were designed to assist women facing gender-based violence—whether domestic, sexual, or psychological—under a single roof. After Rekha Gupta took over as Delhi’s chief minister in February, she repeatedly highlighted the mission of these centres and promised to set up 11 more, one in each district. But ground reports reveal a collapsing system plagued by apathy and lack of funding.

In the sweltering heat, women who reach these supposed “safe havens” are often met with stifling rooms lacking even the most basic amenities—no running water, no functioning fans or coolers, and most critically, no counsellors. Across multiple OSCs, core services such as police assistance and legal aid are inconsistently available, directly violating guidelines set by the ministry of women and child development.

These guidelines mandate a full-time counsellor, police officer, legal aid provider, and round-the-clock infrastructure including temporary shelter, first aid, and a 24-hour helpline. On paper, these centres promise immediate, comprehensive assistance. In reality, they themselves are barely surviving.

BJRM Hospital: Empty chairs, broken coolers

The One Stop Centre at Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial (BJRM) Hospital paints a bleak picture. A rusting iron gate leads to a rundown facility where signs of neglect are hard to miss. On the left, two single beds and a few chairs sit beside a broken cooler. On the right, a helper logs visitor names in a register. The rooms marked “Legal Aid” and “Counsellor” are locked or unstaffed. The only occupied room is that of the centre administrator, who handles every case alone.

There is no case worker—a key role for managing and following up on complaints. Officials said the post has been vacant for over five months. The police official designated there rarely visits, and a five-bed temporary shelter, once operational, was shut last year due to a lack of funds.

“The AC doesn’t work, the computer is dead, and a vehicle for the centre was never provided,” said a staff member who requested anonymity. “Even basic supplies like food, clothing, and hygiene kits are unavailable.”

The Shahdara OSC, within the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences campus, has better staffing, but again chronic underfunding chokes services. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

One letter dated June 12, 2023, sent to the district magistrate’s office reads: “The OSC is not receiving any supplies—no kitchen groceries, no water, no items for kids. How do we feed the victims?”

The administrator, Kusum (last name withheld), now handles nearly every task. During a recent visit, HT witnessed Kusum and one multi-tasking staff member managing the entire centre.

A 21-year-old woman had come seeking help after her husband and brother-in-law took away her one-month-old breastfed baby. With no police official present, Kusum had to call the police and the child welfare committee repeatedly for over 24 hours before the child was returned and legal proceedings initiated.

Kusum declined to comment. But another staffer said: “She manages most cases alone. But this is not how these centres are supposed to function.”

Despite more than 50 letters sent over six years outlining these deficiencies, officials said little action has followed.

Tihar: Better infrastructure, but glaring gaps

The OSC inside the Tihar prison complex appears marginally better. It has two rooms for officials, a waiting area for victims, and a functional five-bed shelter. Unlike BJRM, most mandated staff are present. But even here, the absence of counsellors looms large.

Since July last year, after the Delhi Commission for Women withdrew their services, not one OSC has had a dedicated counsellor on site.

Officials said the absence of dedicated infrastructure continues to hamper daily operations. Calls to the 181 women’s helpline, for example, are diverted to the personal mobile phones of OSC administrators—day and night. “They’re expected to answer calls round the clock without a dedicated control room. It’s unsustainable,” said one official.

While this centre has legal and police officers posted, officials said even the designated female cop struggles to coordinate with the local police station. “She’s always calling for updates, and they dodge her. They drop victims here and move on,” the official said. In one case, a girl brought to the OSC for five days - as mandated for the shelter home - but the police officer did not come to take her statement or follow her case for 10 days.

Adding to the strain, three multi-tasking staff posts remain vacant. The security guard has taken over cooking duties. For over a year, the centre has operated without internet. MTNL and broadband bills have not been paid, forcing staff to use personal phone hotspots to send official emails. There’s no printer either—not at this OSC, or BJRM.

A letter to the SDM Patel Nagar dated October 15, 2023, noted: “The internet has been disconnected for many days, causing major problems in running the centre.” Another dated December 30 highlighted the vacant staff posts due to resignation, absenteeism, or misconduct. “Due to lack of sufficient staff, it is very difficult to provide efficient services to the victims,” it said.

Shahdara: Adequate staff, no funds

The Shahdara OSC, located within the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), has better staffing, but again chronic underfunding chokes services.

“There is no AC in any room, not even the administrator’s office,” said one official. “No toys for kids, no TV for victims. Not even basic comfort.”

Officials said bills remain unpaid for months, affecting food procurement, maintenance, and essentials for victims. Although staff salaries have become more regular, the centre still lacks a dedicated vehicle or residential quarters for administrators. Requests to the DM and SDM, officials said, have gone unanswered.

Lok Nayak: A rare model

In contrast, the OSC at Lok Nayak Hospital stands out as a rare exception. It has a clean, well-kept nine-bed shelter with air conditioning in all rooms, a dedicated vehicle, on-site administrator housing, and all required officials present.

Legal aid, police assistance, case workers, and IT support were all active during HT’s visit. A children’s play area with toys, a television, and clean bedding gave the space a humane touch missing at most other centres.

“There is no major problem here except the absence of counsellors, which is common across Delhi,” said an official. “This is how all centres should function. Everything is under one roof.”

A government official, on condition of anonymity, said that they are aware of the shortcomings at the centres but said that the district magistrates are responsible for operations and upkeep of the OSCs. “The Women and Child Development department releases the funds to the districts after which the DMs are expected to take care of the operations of the OSCs. We are examining the shortcomings,” he said.

Yet, that roof is crumbling across most of the city.

Despite official claims and public promises, Delhi’s OSC network reveals a system of uneven delivery, where centres meant to be safe spaces for vulnerable women are often neither safe nor functional. In place of trained support staff, survivors find locked doors, empty rooms, and administrators left to fight systemic apathy on their own.