Homeless to get a roof from BMC
The civic body has decided to set up night shelters for the 1.5 lakh people sleeping on footpaths to protect them from rash drivers and nature’s fury
The civic body has decided to set up night shelters for the 1.5 lakh people sleeping on footpaths to protect them from rash drivers and nature’s fury
This news will bring a smile on the weatherbeaten faces of scores of pavement dwellers who bear nature’s fury like none other. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to set up night shelters for the city’s homeless population to protect them from monsoon and the travails of winter. The draft proposal for the same is ready and will soon be passed in BMC’s general body meeting.
Around 1.5 lakh people live on the footpaths and are easy prey to diseases that spread during the rainy season. That apart, more than 10 per cent of the homeless population is either injured or killed in road accidents.
The demand for night shelters gathered force after the 2006 incident when an allegedly drunk Alistair Pereira mowed down seven people sleeping on a pavement in Bandra.
“Every day, we find 3 to 4 abandoned bodies in the city. If homeless people get shelters over their heads, they will not be victims of rash driving,” a senior Mantralaya official confided.
The night shelters will be created on the line of Delhi’s shelter homes. “We are getting details about the number of people living on the roads in different areas of the city. Accordingly, shelters will be set up. While Delhi has 30 shelterhomes, Mumbai requires a minimum of 50,” the official said.
He added, “The shelters will have basic amenities like toilet, water, and blankets in winter. We will also charge a minimum amount from the person who wishes to stay at these night shelters.”
The Mantralaya official said demolition drives carried out by the BMC mostly affect the homeless.
“When these drives are on, pavement dwellers need temporary homes to stay in. We are chalking out a master plan wherein all homeless people will be accommodated. The BMC has identified vacant plots to set up the night shelters,” the official said.
Ashok Shintre, deputy municipal commissioner of BMC’s engineering department, said, “We are still working on the plan in consultation with the State Government.”
* More than 10 per cent of the homeless living on the pavement are either injured or killed in road accidents