New Delhi, Dec 21 (UNI) Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) President Devender Yadav on Sunday said that BJP government should “stop juggling” with data and strictly follow the minimum standards in the night shelters so as to provide shelter to 20,000 homeless people.
Yadav was commenting on the statement made by Delhi Cabinet Minister Ashish Sood where the latter claimed that more than 20,000 homeless people in Delhi have been provided sleeping arrangements.
He said that ground reality exposed the claims made by Sood.
“In reality, the available sleeping space should be a minimum of 50 square feet per person and according to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, the available sleeping space is 4,41,198 square feet, which can accommodate only 8823 persons. The Delhi government’s claim is completely hollow, Rekha Gupta and her ministers are only misleading the people of Delhi with the Maya net of data,” Yadav said.
Yadav demanded that the BJP government should strictly follow the minimum standards in the night shelters of Delhi and make immediate arrangements for women’s safety, hygiene, food and blankets only then proper facilities will be provided to the homeless, migrant laborers, needy and destitute people. He said that monitoring and social audit of night shelters should be done by an independent agency as the homeless citizens of Delhi have every right to a dignified and safe life. He said the Rekha Gupta led government should come out of the paper claims and work on the ground reality in the interest of the people.
Yadav claimed that serious irregularities were found, especially in the pagoda tents after the visit of a body to night shelters and people associated with the Congress in the winter nights. He said that it was found that the condition of mobile toilets was pathetic, plastic toilets were found to be in poor condition, smelly and broken.
There are water tanks to wash hands, but there is no water, Women living in night shelters near Safdarjung and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said they are facing a lot of trouble as NDMC toilets are closed at night while the mobile toilets are not usable.
The homeless citizens living in the night shelter of Kali Mandir, Rohini complained that the menu of food and tea is not available as per the prescribed standards, the food falls short. The blankets were not washed since last several months and smelly. During the inspection, it was found that there is no regular monitoring and checking by the government representatives.
“During the inspection, it was also found that in the same building like Dwarka, Rohini, Geeta Colony night shelters, different codes of four night shelters have been displayed. While the caretaker was nowhere to be found, there was no trace of the rescue vehicle. The government is playing a data game,” he said.
