Chill worsens, occupancy in night shelters doubles

Parveen Arora

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Karnal, December 29

With the temperature dipping, people who find themselves without a roof in cold nights, have started turning to night shelters, which have been set up by the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) in the city.

Proper arrangements made

Proper arrangements have been made at night shelters. Senior officials, including ADC and SDMs, are visiting the shelters to ensure necessary compliance of orders. Anish Yadav, Deputy commissioner

The occupancy at these night shelters has doubled since last weekend. As per the data, earlier 20-25 persons used to stay here daily, but now 45-55 persons are staying here .

However, homeless people can still be seen sleeping in the verandahs of different markets, including Mughal Canal, Sectors 12, 9, 6, Nehru Palace market and others.

The KMC has set up six shelter homes for the homeless in view of the severe winter – a permanent shelter home in Prem Nagar having a capacity to accomodate 80 persons and a shelter home near the UHBVN office in Sector 12 which has a capacity to accomodate 20 persons. Shelter homes on Kachwa road, near the old bus stand, at Meerut Chowk, and near Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) have a capacity to accomodate 10 persons each. People can be seen huddled up in their blankets near Gurdwara Nirmal Kutia. There is a night shelter at a five-minute distance, but they prefer to stay outside the Nirmal Kutia as they get food there.

On the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, 46 persons stayed in six night shelter homes – including 15 at Prem Nagar, 14 at the Sector12 shelter home, six at the shelter home outside the KCGMC, three at the shelter home at Meerut Chowk, four each at the shelter home on Kachwa Road and near the old bus stand. Blankets and other facilities were provided to them. The occupants were happy with the facilities, but demanded food as well. However, at one shelter home near the KCGMC, food was being served to them. “I have been staying here for the past four nights. Arrangements are good,” said Ram, an occupant.

To ensure people do not sleep in the open and occupants get facilities at the shelter homes, the district administration has assigned the duties to the ADC, SDM and other HCS rank officials. “Proper arrangements have been made at night shelters. Senior officials, including ADC and SDMs, are visiting the shelters to ensure necessary compliance of orders,” said Anish Yadav, Deputy Commissioner.

Ajay Singh Tomer, Commissioner of KMC, said anyone could get shelter at these six places. The facility of blankets, heaters, electricity, potable water, beds, mattress, and others are available here. “Our employees take rounds of the city on vehicles to shift homeless people sleeping in the open to shelter homes,” said the Commissioner.