Not enough night shelters in Delhi; subway shut, homeless near AIIMS stranded in cold

Homeless people find shelter under the flyover or at the bus stop near the hospital. (Express photo)

Outside India’s biggest hospital — the All India Institute of Medical Sciences — on Monday, 28-year-old Kavita is huddled in a blanket in the corner of the bus stop. Wearing a woollen cap and a sweater donated by a man three days ago, she waits for the rain to abate. Kavita came to the capital two years ago from Bihar’s Begusarai district, after doctors diagnosed her with TB.

Till last year, Kavita would take shelter in the subway at AIIMS while she waited to see the doctor. This year, however, hundreds of homeless people who have made the streets outside AIIMS their home found the subway locked ever since winter started.

“The subway was in no way an ideal ‘home’ but it protected us from the rain and the chilly wind. When it rained on Monday, I took cover at the bus stop as did several other people. The night shelters set up here are packed every night. Most people who sleep there are drunk or drug addicts, so I don’t feel safe sleeping there. Also, the shelters are right above a drain and it smells very bad. The subway gave us protection from the cold as well as cars,” Kavita said.

In 2014, the then Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had ordered that subways in areas with a dense homeless population, such as AIIMS and Kashmere Gate, be opened for the homeless during winter — providing some respite from the cold for those sleeping outside AIIMS. This year, however, subways at both locations are locked every night.

An NGO working with the homeless in the area has now written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking that the subway be opened as soon as possible.

“For the past three years, the subway served people in the winter months. It’s closure has hit the homeless hard. We have written to the CM to ensure that something is done to get the subway opened again. The shelters in the area set up by the government are not in great condition either. The tents that have come up do not have any facility for toilets. A provision for those should be made. Also, wherever there is a concentration of homeless people, subways and a part of the Metro stations should be opened during winters,” said Centre for Holistic Development’s Sunil Aledia.

According to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) CEO, Shurbir Singh, the issue has already been raised with the New Delhi Municipal Council. “We are in touch with NDMC over the issue as the subway is now under them. They are undertaking some renovation work there. We have asked them to give the subway to us till March so that the homeless can use it. In the interim, we have set up five tents in the area to accommodate the homeless but we agree these are not adequate. There is still a 20 per cent gap between demand and supply,” he said.