Officials to face action if homeless people found sleeping in the open, says Gurugram DC

Gurugram: The Gurugram district administration has formed teams under sub-divisional magistrates to ensure that homeless people are not found sleeping in the open at night

Gurugram: The Gurugram district administration has formed teams under sub-divisional magistrates to ensure that homeless people are not found sleeping in the open at night.

Gurugram, India-January 18, 2023: The Deputy Commissioner(DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav inspected the Bhim Nagar night shelter and reviewed the facilities near Government School on Tuesday night, in Gurugram, India, on Wednesday, 18 January 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)(Pic to go with Leena Dhankar's story)

Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, who visited at least eight night shelters on Tuesday night, said that the SDM in-charge of the respective areas will be held responsible if people are found sleeping in the open. The teams will also look into theft and sanitation issues that force many homeless people to sleep in the open on the frigid nights. Also, no identification papers will be asked from people who come to the night shelters, officials said.

According to senior officials, these teams will check the status of the facilities at each of the 12 night shelters in the city and make sure that nobody is forced to sleep in the open.

The DC also directed the teams to put up banners and hoardings around the night shelters and in public areas, so that information about them is visible for the homeless. “The nodal officers of each area will go out every night to check if anyone is sleeping in the open. They will shift these people and will keep blankets inside the vehicles so that quick relief is provided to the needy,” Yadav said.

During the DC’s surprise inspection on Tuesday night, many homeless people were found sleeping in the open outside railway station, markets and bus stands. Later, vehicles were arranged to shift them to the night shelters. Yadav asked officials to ensure all CCTV cameras installed in the night shelters are operational and the recordings are stored for at least 30 days.

Yadav also reviewed the facilities being provided to the night shelter inmates and also took feedback from people spending the nights in these establishments. “We have appointed a senior officer for each night shelter, who will be responsible for its maintenance, hygiene and will ensure enough beddings are kept for the needy,” he said.

The DC has also passed orders to make separate night shelters for women at the main bus stand. “We have also arranged fresh hot food from a nearby eatery for the inmates of the night shelter near the bus stand. These people should not face any difficulties as they work hard during the day and the nights should be made comfortable,” said Yadav.

Additional deputy commissioner Vishwas Kumar Meena, said that special attention will be paid to cleanliness. “Sufficient blankets have been kept for people at the night shelters so that no one returns due to a dearth of them ,” he said.

The deputy commissioner said that they are also coordinating with gurudwaras and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for proper arrangement of food at the night shelters.

Till early 2016, Gurugram city had only two permanent night shelters — at the Kanhai community centre and Bhim Nagar, which earlier operated as a dog shelter. At that time, six defunct Haryana Roadways buses were also converted into temporary night shelters. In the late 2016, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) introduced portable night shelters, and over the next four years, three more permanent night shelters were opened across the city. However, no data is available with the civic agency on the number of homeless people in Gurugram.

Apart from the 12 night shelters across the district, a community centre located in Harijan Colony in Manesar and the Agrawal Dharamshala in Sohna are also giving shelter to the homeless at night.

The DC also said they will seek police help for deployment of police control room vehicles outside the night shelters.

Sources said that people living in the night shelters have told the DC about thefts that are taking place in the night shelters on a daily basis. “We wash our clothes and dry it outside, but they have gone missing for more than one instance. As many as 20 thefts have been reported in the last one week. We hardly have clothes and there is no other place where we can safely place them. There are CCTV cameras, but they are lying defunct,” said Sandeep Kumar (32), a salesman from Bhiwani, who works in the Sadar Bazar area.

Another man who spends the night at the night centre in Bhim Nagar, said that they get the same food every day. “We have been eating the same menu of lentils, vegetables, chapati and rice. If the administration is paying for our food, then we should be given a different menu once in a while,” said Daulat Ram (27), a daily wage worker.