Govt cracks down on irregularities at night shelters in Delhi

In a move to tighten oversight and improve conditions in the Capital’s night shelters, Delhi’s Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood chaired a high-level meeting on Friday at the Delhi Secretariat with senior officials of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and District Magistrates connected via video conferencing.

The meeting came a day after Sood’s surprise inspection of five night shelters in Sarai Kale Khan, where he found multiple irregularities, including poor hygiene, fake employees, presence of anti-social elements and serious security lapses — especially in women’s shelters.

“District Officers will now regularly inspect the facilities and arrangements in all DUSIB-run night shelters. Any irregularities or mismanagement will be investigated by the Vigilance Department, and if needed, by the CBI too,” the Minister said.

Officials were briefed through a detailed presentation on the current status of night shelters. Sood directed all District Magistrates to immediately inspect shelters under their jurisdiction and submit detailed reports to DUSIB and his office. He stressed that strict action will follow any negligence or lapses found.

The Minister raised concerns about critical issues, including unsanitary conditions, water leakage, power failures, lack of drinking water, missing attendance registers and unauthorised persons managing shelter cleaning. He also highlighted the risk posed by ‘ghost’ employees and criminal elements misusing the shelters.

To plug loopholes, DUSIB informed that it is developing an app-based system to track staff attendance and improve monitoring. Sood directed that inspections be carried out regularly by District Magistrates and Sub-Divisional Magistrates using a standardised inspection proforma. Surprise checks will also be conducted to ensure transparency and accountability.

To prevent misuse of shelters, authorities were asked to ensure that no outsiders with criminal backgrounds stay in the shelters. The government will explore organising Aadhaar card camps in all districts to verify the identity of shelter residents.