New Delhi:
In a relief to the homeless people, the Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the MCD to restore night shelter for them on temporary basis at Pusa road here.
A division bench of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw directed the Delhi Legal Services Authority to inspect the night shelter for the homeless people and file a report by January 13.
"The MCD is directed to put up the tent during the course of the day," the Bench said, adding that the MCD must take a "humanistic view" towards people living there.
However, the court said it will not allow continuation of the encroachment and told the NGOs which had put the temporarily shelter for about 250 homeless people that the arrangements shall be made for only 15 days.
Assistant MCD Commissioner of Karol Bagh zone, Rakesh Mehta, assured the court to put back the shelter for the homeless people, including children, for another 15 days.
The bench directed him to explore possibilities to accommodate these people in any other night shelter in the Capital.
Appearing for MCD, the counsel Maninder Acharya told the bench that an alternative site has been marked for the shifting of these people which is one km away from the Pusa road roundabout.
"Despite the fact that they were told to shift, they are not moving from the place," the counsel for the civic body said.
Meanwhile, an official from Shahri Adhikar Manch, a consortium of 30 NGOs, told the bench that the alternative shelter marked for these people was unsafe as there were reports of theft of their belongings from that area.
The court had on Wednesday pulled up the MCD for demolishing the night shelter in the name of beautification drive and the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in the city, saying that it is an obligation of the civic agency to provide shelter to homeless persons in the Capital.
It had also directed the MCD to place before it the order under which the night shelter on Pusa road was demolished on December 22 without providing alternative accommodation to the people living there.
A division bench of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw directed the Delhi Legal Services Authority to inspect the night shelter for the homeless people and file a report by January 13.
"The MCD is directed to put up the tent during the course of the day," the Bench said, adding that the MCD must take a "humanistic view" towards people living there.
However, the court said it will not allow continuation of the encroachment and told the NGOs which had put the temporarily shelter for about 250 homeless people that the arrangements shall be made for only 15 days.
Assistant MCD Commissioner of Karol Bagh zone, Rakesh Mehta, assured the court to put back the shelter for the homeless people, including children, for another 15 days.
The bench directed him to explore possibilities to accommodate these people in any other night shelter in the Capital.
Appearing for MCD, the counsel Maninder Acharya told the bench that an alternative site has been marked for the shifting of these people which is one km away from the Pusa road roundabout.
"Despite the fact that they were told to shift, they are not moving from the place," the counsel for the civic body said.
Meanwhile, an official from Shahri Adhikar Manch, a consortium of 30 NGOs, told the bench that the alternative shelter marked for these people was unsafe as there were reports of theft of their belongings from that area.
The court had on Wednesday pulled up the MCD for demolishing the night shelter in the name of beautification drive and the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in the city, saying that it is an obligation of the civic agency to provide shelter to homeless persons in the Capital.
It had also directed the MCD to place before it the order under which the night shelter on Pusa road was demolished on December 22 without providing alternative accommodation to the people living there.
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