NO REGARD FOR PEOPLE: HC
NEW DELHI: Taking suo motu cognizance of a TOI report, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday blasted the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for demolishing a temporary night shelter at the Pusa Road roundabout in the name of a "beautification" drive for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.
"How can you demolish the night shelter without having regard to people living there? Under the law (MCD Act), it is your obligation to provide night shelters to homeless people in the capital," a bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah said, reminding the agency of its obligation to the vulnerable population.
Demanding to know who gave the order to demolish the shelter, HC also summoned the assistant commissioner of Karol Bagh zone to appear before it on Thursday with an explanation. It further directed the agency’s lawyer to place before it the order under which the shelter was demolished.
"Have you thought of the sufferings of people due to the demolition? Winter is severe in the city. You give an explanation for the demolition on grounds of beautification and the Commonwealth Games. Show us the order under which it was demolished," the bench said.
Of the 250 people who were left shelterless due to MCD’s action, one person, a balloon seller, died of exposure on December 31.
The MCD on its part apologized for the demolition and claimed that alternative arrangements had been made for the inmates from January 2. Branding the inhabitants of the shelter as encroachers, the agency maintained that under the MCD Act no prior notice needed to be given for removing encroachments.
But the bench was unmoved. "You can’t shun your responsibility. It’s your responsibility to protect these people," it said and listed the matter for further hearing for Thursday, when it will examine the legal validity of the demolition order.
TOI had on its front page (December 25) reported the plight of the homeless at Pusa Road who were having to sleep in the open after the temporary night shelter erected by Delhi government was brought down by the MCD on December 22. MCD called the shelter an encroachment and a traffic hazard and said the area had to be "beautified" before the 2010 Games.
TOI followed up the issue with a series of reports on the homeless, tracking their concerns and the government’s apathy.
It took the death of a homeless balloon seller due to cold on New Year eve to move the authorities into building an alternative shelter near the original site on January 3.
SOURCE: TIMES OF INDIA
DATE: 07.01.2010
