The court in July had directed DSLSA to conduct an independent recce and file a status report regarding hunger relief camps and night shelters.

Apprising the Delhi High Court of the poor condition of night shelters in the capital, the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) Thursday said many occupants, including children, are sleeping on the floor without mattresses and pointed out that basic necessities to prevent Covid-19 spread are missing in many. DSLSA also pointed out that washrooms are in pathetic condition and claimed they found drug addicts in a few night shelters.

The division bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to file a status report in response to the deficiencies highlighted by DSLSA in the report. The court in July had directed DSLSA to conduct an independent recce and file a status report regarding hunger relief camps and night shelters. The order was passed in the case filed by Delhi Rozi-Roti Adhikar Abhiyan.

“Living conditions in some of the night shelters are below satisfactory from the point of view of basic living conditions, especially in the current times when the country is combating a pandemic,” the DSLSA said in its report. It added that sanitisers, masks and gloves were not made available to occupants at some night shelters.

There are not enough washrooms in some of the night shelters, and there is an imminent need for “deep cleaning and sanitisation of washrooms in these night shelters which were found to be emitting a foul smell”, the court has been informed. DSLSA said the “pathetic condition” of the washrooms forces children to urinate in open areas.

The report also states that some drug addicts are staying in Kirti Nagar and Khyala shelters. A total of 303 night shelters are being run by DUSIB, out of which DSLSA visited 54.