HDMC plans shelters for homeless labourers

Hubballi: The Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation has identified seven out-of-use community halls that would be converted into shelters for homeless labourers who have travelled from other parts of Karnataka to work here.
The HDMC has sent a proposal to the state government for approval and plans to spend around Rs 1 crore on this plan.
The HDMC, in a survey, identified 222 homeless labourers who had travelled to Hubballi from different villages across Karnataka.
The civic corporation has two shelters in Hubballi and Dharwad and they can accommodate 52 and 40 homeless labourers, respectively. To accommodate other homeless labourers, the seven community halls would be used.
Suresh Itnal, the commissioner of HDMC, said these community halls were not used for several years and would be used “to shelter the urban homeless labourers”. Two such halls are in Dharwad and five in Hubballi, he said.
Ramesh Noolvi, a National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) official at HDMC, said the halls would be equipped with necessary essential services under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-NULM.
The HDMC has prepared a detailed report on the development of community halls, such as strengthening of the rooves, painting and providing basic facilities to the labourers. Itnal said that after approval from the government, the development of the community halls will start and is expected to be over by the end of December.
Noolvi added that the livelihood mission would address the concerns of urban street vendors by facilitating access to suitable spaces, institutional credit, social security and skills for accessing emerging market opportunities.