Homeless take refuge in shelters as cold grips Karnal
As the bone-chilling weather condition grips the region, homeless people are taking refuge in six night shelter homes to protect themselves from the harsh winter. These shelter homes are operated by the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC), one is permanent and five are temporary. The permanent shelter home, located near the Kaithal Road Railway flyover in Prem Nagar, is a two-storey facility with a capacity of 80 people. It operates round the clock.
Other night shelters are located near the railway station, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College emergency gate, behind the old bus stand taxi stand, near the UHBVN office in Sector 12 and at Meerut Road Chowk. These temporary shelters are available from 6pm to 6 am. The shelter home in Sector 12 has a capacity to keep 30 people while shelter home near the railway station has a capacity of 25, and remaining have a capacity of 10 each.
As per the data collected by ‘The Tribune’, all shelters have been operational since December 1 and on an average 50-60 people take shelter in these homes. Nearly 1,500 people have taken shelter in these eight homes so far.
The Karnal Municipal Corporation has appointed a caretaker for each shelter home to look after the facilities there. All basic facilities such as clean drinking water, blankets, mattresses, medical kits, heaters and others are provided to them, said Dheerj Kumar, Additional Municipal Commissioner.
He said the city project officer Parveen Chugh along with employees of the KMC had been assigned the responsibility to ensure all facilities were provided at shelter homes and see that those homeless being shifted to the shelter get all facilities when shifted there.
“We review the progress of these shelter homes on regular intervals,” he said.
The homeless people expressed satisfaction with facilities being extended to them there. “I have been staying here for the past four nights and we are given all facilities which we require,” said a 50 year-old man at a shelter.
