Chandigarh, January 6–With a view to protecting the poor homeless from the intense cold weather, the Haryana Government has set up 103-night shelters across the state, and 30 mobile night shelters will be set up in nine cities within a week to meet the increasing demand.

Disclosing this here today, Mrs Kavita Jain, Haryana Urban Local Bodies Minister, said the Urban Local Bodies Department was making adequate arrangements to provide the facility of night shelter in all municipal areas for poor homeless people. She urged social welfare organizations to contribute to better management of the night shelters.

Mrs Jain said the Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal, himself was closely monitoring proper arrangements at these night shelters. The municipal administration in 80 cities has made adequate arrangements for mattresses, quilts and blankets after identifying night shelters.

Additional arrangements have been sought by the administration in Gurgaram, Faridabad, Rohtak, Bahadurgarh, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Sonepat, Panchkula and Kurukshetra, for which approval for setting up 30 mobile night shelters had been given. Out of these, 17 shelters have already been set up and the remaining would be in working order within a week.
Mrs Jain urged the general public to generate awareness among the needy homeless to make use of these night shelters, and also inform the civic authorities and officers of the district administration about any requirement or improvement to be made.