Night shelter of Red Cross turns into rehab centre for disabled

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 17

Constructed with an aim to offering shelter to the homeless people in the city, the night shelter of the Bathinda unit of the Red Cross Society has now turned into District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC).

Located near the Civil Hospital, the under-construction building was given to the Health Department for running the DDRC.

The change in the purpose for which the building was constructed came shortly after the newly elected state government took some important decisions to improve the sagging financial condition of the state.

These decisions included the decision to cut down on the money, which was being spent on paying rent of private buildings from where government offices are functioning. These offices are functioning from private buildings owing to a shortage of government buildings.

Following the directions of the state government, the district administration recently ordered to shift the DDRC to the new building after the completion of the construction.

Notably, earlier a working women’s hostel was functioning at the same site. Owing to the extremely low demand and occupancy rate registered at the hostel, the Red Cross Society had decided to pull the old structure down and construct a night shelter in its place. The estimated cost of the project is about Rs 1.35 crore. Since the project cost was huge, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) proposed to pay a part of the expense.

As part of its offer, the HUDCO released Rs 80 lakh for the project and Municipal Corporation, Bathinda (MCB) is overseeing its construction. Constructed with a plan to construct a night shelter, the building now has several rooms, originally meant to offer shelter to the homeless at night.

These rooms will now be used to offer place to the disabled people. The Red Cross Society will not be getting any rent from the Health Department for using the building.

There are two night shelters in the city. One is being run by the MCB near its office and the other is a temporary night shelter, which is being run by a city-based NGO, Sahara Jansewa.

These night shelters have coolers and cold water arrangements during summers. They offer blankets and quilts to the homeless in winters. Despite the facilities being offered at these two centres, the majority of the homeless people still prefer to spend nights in the open sky.

The reason behind spending nights in the open could be a constant vigil, which is kept on every person who stays at the night shelters. As most of them are drug addicts and they don’t want come under the scanner. They also get alms and other kinds of help from the residents.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Diprava Lakra said, “Since the disabled persons belong to the most deprived section of society, there is a need to have more space for the DDRC. The centre was earlier running at the Red Cross building located near the district administrative complex.”

“The DDRC is being shifted to the new building. But that does not mean that the homeless will not be offered shelter. The new building is big. Right now, it will function as a DDRC but in case homeless come for shelter, they will also be welcomed,” the DC added.