Homeless wander on roads as NMC fails to take care of them

Nagpur: Despite tall claims by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) of accommodating all homeless and migrants at its various shelter homes during Covid-19 outbreak, many of them are still wandering on roads across the city. At various squares, such homeless, including the beggars, were found lying in filthy and unhygienic conditions, unattended by anyone.
Moved by their pitiable condition, a youth engaged in social work clicked their photographs by travelling to various areas. In search of such persons, Shashank Gattewar visited Loha Pul, Cotton Market, Sai Mandir, Shankar Nagar, Meetha Neem Dargah, Sadar, Gandhi Sagar Lake, Cotton Market Square and other areas and sent pictures.
After contacting a senior NMC official of the rank of assistant commissioner, he was diverted to Vasant Rangari, a shelter home caretaker at the Tekdi Ganesh Temple. However, the latter expressed inability to accommodate such a large number of persons stating that the beds were full. He also told him that due to differences between NMC commissioner Tukaram Mundhe and mayor Sandip Joshi, the free food service for outsiders was stopped from July 23.
Rangari told TOI that persons referred were mentally unstable and therefore, it wasn’t possible for him to accommodate them at his shelter home. “As per rules, every homeless person is first taken to GMCH for testing of Covid-19. Only after s/he is found negative that they are provided a bed at such homes. But when the youth called me, the beds were unavailable with us.”
He added that earlier, an NMC bus used to be with them for bringing such people to the shelters, but now it has been discontinued. “We’ve 17 beds of which 15 are full. After NMC stopped free food service from June 23, we get ration only to feed five senior citizens, while others stare at us. We feed them till last month end by pouring our own resources, but now we have exhausted everything and even NGOs aren’t coming forward these days to help,” he said, adding that ti would be very difficult to provide food to any new inmate at his home.
Gattewar said when he talked to homeless persons, some of them told him that they were facing problems getting food ever since the lockdown was imposed. “We humans donate bread, biscuits to the stray dogs, but no very few think about the plight of these poor people,” an upset Gattewar told TOI.