A clinic for Delhi’s homeless addicts

“For the last 25 years, I have tried to get rid of this habit but I have failed. Smack took away everything from me — my family and my home. But I keep trying to defeat this demon,” said Vijay Kumar, 60, who lives in Krishna Nagar.
As Monday evening starts to descend on the Walled City, the homeless in the area start to flock to the makeshift clinic set up near Jama Masjid. The rickshaw pullers, beggars and destitute are ready for their regular medical check-ups but the longest line is in front of a young doctor handing out de-addiction prescriptions and checking the patients’ progress. Vijay Kumar is one among them.
In the Walled City, where a 2014 government survey said 10,000 of the total 16,700 homeless population of the city live, doctors from the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) attend to addicts and alcoholics every Monday and Thursday and try to rehabilitate them within the community.
The bi-weekly health camp is organised by NGO Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan (AAA), which has been working with the homeless in Delhi since 1999.
“With some patients I see progress, with others not so much. Our basic aim is to improve the quality of life of those who are addicted. If routines are followed, there can be real progress,” said Abhyuday Singh, a junior resident at IHBAS.
The most common drugs used by the homeless, according to Singh, are heroin, smack and opioids.
Pradeep, 58, a former drug addict, was homeless because of his addiction to heroin. After attending the de-addiction programme for close to three years, he was allowed entry into his home after eight long years.
While there are several stories of triumph, the list of failures is even longer.
“Quitting is easy, never using again is the difficult part. While most addicts grapple with this problem on a daily basis, for the homeless the fight is tougher. It is the loneliness that kills,” said Praveen, a coordinator with AAA and also a former addict.
Sajid Ali, 50, has been homeless for more time than he can remember. His parents lived in Delhi.
“They died some time ago. I could never kick the habit and go back to them. I wouldn’t wish this disease on my worst enemy,” he said.
According to Sanjay Kumar from AAA, the model of a community clinic has worked in the area because it caters particularly to a community that is already present in the area.
“To have a better impact, this is a programme that needs to be scaled up. It required engagement and integration, which is currently missing. The best bet would be to open more such clinics in areas that have a sizeable homeless population. Three-month programmes that the government wants cannot work with this population,” said Kumar.
-
After 25 years of marriage, wife pays killer ₹6 lakh to murder husband
Deputy commissioner of police (central) Shweta Chauhan said the investigators checked over 500 videos of CCTV footage from the area, and examined more than 100 people. Of these, some were identified as suspects and technical surveillance was launched against them, based on which the three were arrested on Thursday, she added.
-
Upgrade civic infra: Delhi's new LG Saxena after checks
An official from the LG’s office said Vinai Kumar Saxena stopped at around 20 spots during the visit and asked the officials concerned to clean the area wherever he spotted garbage. “The LG directed the officials concerned to take action towards ensuring symmetry in city infrastructure including roads, footpaths, streetlights and signage,” Saxena’s office said in a statement on Thursday.
-
Ambala: Vij reviews challan process on NH-44
Haryana home minister Anil Vij on Thursday checked the challaning activity at a police nakka near Mohra village on NH-44 in Ambala Cantonment. BJP seeks property tax waiver for UT colonies, villages Chandigarh BJP president Arun Sood on Thursday met UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit and sought exemption from property tax at Chandigarh's EWS colonies and villages. A cheating case has been registered against Harish Mittu. The complaint said they were cheated of ₹1.04 crore.
-
Mohali: Illegal structures razed in Karoran, Masol villages
The enforcement wing of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority along with a team from the forest department carried out a drive to raze illegal structures in Karoran and Masol villages of Mohali district on Thursday. The structures had come up in the areas closed under sections 4 & 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act. The teams demolished the entry gates and foundations laid for developing farmhouses by Worldwide Immigration Consultancy Services.
-
PU revises schedule for entrance exams
Panjab University on Thursday announced a revised schedule for various entrance exams for the 2022-23 academic session. Panjab University Tourism and Hospitality Aptitude Test (PUTHAT) will be held on June 29. PU-CET, which was earlier scheduled on June 26, will be held on July 3. The varsity will conduct the PU-CET exam on July 30 and 31. The MPhil and PhD entrance exam will be held on September 18.