New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) The city government Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that most of the homeless people do not want to shift to night shelters and that they were involved in drugs-related activities.
A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw was informed that a joint inspection was carried out by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and an NGO, which found that in 12 sites, the homeless people do not want to shift to night shelters.
A DUSIB official told the court that rickshaw pullers refused to shift to shelters saying if they go inside, their rickshaws will be stolen.
"Rickshaw pullers and small shopkeepers refused to go to shelters. They say their rickshaws and goods will be stolen," the official told.
He told the court that 40 percent of the homeless people were drug addicts and he has asked Delhi Police to stop the sale of drugs.
"In Jama Masjid area, I saw a seven-year-old kid inhaling an eraser solution," he told the bench.
Some homeless people were selling the blankets given to them for drugs, he said.
"During the night, people would give blankets if they (homeless) were spotted on the roads. But they would sell the blankets the next morning," he said.
He said Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung was personally taking interest in the issue and has asked people to distribute blankets in night shelters only.
The drug mafia in slum areas was also against putting up night shelters because health officials will inspect the places and the mafia will face difficulty in doing business, he added.
The court had earlier directed the city government and NGO Shahri Adhikar Manch Begharon Ke Liye to visit the places where night shelters were to be set up and submit a report.
The court also pulled up the NGO after its member Indu Prakash said he was unable to visit all the sites as he had gone out of the city.
The NGO had earlier handed over a list of proposed places to build set up shelters.
Prakash told the court that people were staying away from the night shelters citing crowded conditions and lack of hygiene.
The bench, meanwhile, reserved its order after it took up the issue on its own when media reports highlighted the absence of enough and proper night shelters for homeless people in the city.
The 41st match of IPL 2024 was played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bang
You may have to pay a fee for the Twitter service. New boss Elon Musk is considering moving Twitt
The root of the fidayeen attack on Kabul airport lies in Pakistan. ISIS Khorasan i.e. ISIS-K has
Drugs Case: Aryan Khan, son of Shahrukh Khan, arrested in the cruise drugs case, will have to rem
Petrol diesel is getting expensive, can the price be lower than Russian oil?
Petrol and diesel prices in the country have been increasing continuously for the last few days.
Delhi Alert on Ram Navami: Procession in Jahangirpuri amid tight security, drone monitoring
Delhi Police is already in alert mode this year because of the riots that took place on the occas
When Prime Minister Modi was speaking in the Rajya Sabha today, his style was different. He menti
Ram Mandir: Ayodhya Pran Pratishtha time announced; event to be held on January 22 at 12:20 pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ov
The havoc of Corona is not over yet and China has started making new viruses with the Pakistan Ar
CBSE: Timetable Released for the 10th & 12th
Central board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the board exam date sheet for the class 10t
