Crime Today News
Hyderabad: People’s organisations have decided to meet chief minister A Revanth Reddy to propose converting vacant government buildings like the Burgula Ramakrishna Rao building (BRK Bhavan) and the Dwakra building (opposite Ambedkar Bhavan) on Tank Bund into shelters for the homeless.
Homeless people living in shelter homes, social activists, and those running the 12 shelter homes under the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) discussed several issues affecting the homeless in Hyderabad, at the World Homeless Day meeting held at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram (SVK) on Friday, October 10.
Speaking at the event, social activist Sajaya pointed out that after the demolition of the old secretariat and construction of the massive new one, half of the offices from BRK Bhavan got vacated and lying unused. Without any proper maintenance, she said the building was wearing a haunted look, and soon electricity and other structural issues will arise.
She said the case is with the Dwakra building of the panchayat raj department was similar. Sajaya added said that converting some of the floors or the entire building into shelter homes will help the homeless people. The activist stated that they are being subjected to “unimaginable cruelty in the society”.
The identity problem
The speakers echoed that the major issue being faced by the homeless is finding an identity, difficulty in getting an aadhar card, for which a birth certificate is mandatory.
“People are looking at us like terrorists on the streets. Many educated people come to the shelters after losing their luggage at railway stations, or for many other reasons. There are also individuals and couples who come to shelters for 5 or 6 months, work here and go back to their village,” a caretaker said.
“If the government can give them aadhar card, they can get PAN card, bank account and decent jobs. The government can also give skills training to them, which will help them get on with their lives,” another caretaker said.
Why operation of shelter homes is tough
Renuka, a caretaker said that the state government pays Rs 23,000 per month to each of these shelter homes, and much of it gets exhausted for salaries to higher authorities, with the caretakers given just Rs 3,500 per month, to feed the inmates.
“We are unable to find houses on rent for that amount,” she said, noting that it takes Rs 50,000 per month to feed 20 inmates at a shelter home.
She pointed-out that in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, each shelter home was getting Rs 60,000 per month, and that a three- storeyed shelter home was recently built in Vijayawada for Rs 60 lakh.
“It is even more difficult if you’re a woman. Because of misunderstandings or whichever reason she becomes homeless. She is not in a position to trust anybody. Because of the treatment she gets on the streets, she turns mentally-ill,” she added.
Colony residents attack
Another major issue that was brought up was the residents of colonies creating issues at shelter homes being run in community halls, and lack of security at the shelter homes. Speakers said that there were also cases of residents being attacked by the people living in colonies, who want them out of there. “Let us just say they don’t deserve to live with us,” Sajaya said.
The CM convoy trouble
Another problem being faced by the homeless in Hyderabad is officials shooing them away from the streets whenever the chief minister’s convoy passes from there.
“They ask us who told us to stay there. There are many incidents where the people replied saying Revanth Reddy asked them to stay there,” a caretaker joked.
The Supreme Court order
The activists stated that 300 shelter homes are supposed to be there in GHMC’s limits as per a 2007 Supreme Court order, which was a result of the people’s movements. The Supreme Court had passed the order stating that for every 1 lakh population, there has to be a transit home in any urban local body.
“A couple of years after the order, the Supreme Court inquired into the operation of these shelters. The then government submitted in its affidavit that there were 60 shelter homes established,” said Jeevan Kumar, from the Human Rights Forum. He was in the committee that was setup by the Supreme Court to oversee the running of these shelter homes.
However, in the last 14 years, they have been reduced to 12. The most recent closure of a shelter home happened in Saroornagar, just a few days ago. The activists from over a dozen organisations pressed several demands before the state government at the meeting.
Demands
- Establishment of temporary shelters immediately in view of rains and winter chills.
- Setting up of a helpline for the homeless.
- Mobile night shelters at bus stands and railway stations.
- Setting up part-stay homes.
- Allocation of a ward in every hospital for the homeless.
- ID card for the homeless to use Sulabh toilets without any charge.
- Repairs to the existing 12 shelters immediately.
- Shelters should be established with facilities for the residents with disabilities.
- The shelters closed down in the past should be opened again, and based on population shelters should be established.
- Because of the present funds being insufficient, budget should be increased for running shelters.
- Salaries to staff at shelter homes should be paid as per the Labour Act.
- A crematorium should be established to hold the last rites, if any homeless person dies.
- Night shelters should be established in areas where the government constructs houses for the poor.
- Medical and health facilities should be strengthened and made accessible to the homeless.
- Government should give identity cards for the homeless and extend all government schemes to them.
- Arogyasri, ration cards, voter IDs and bank accounts should be opened for the homeless.
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