33,000 Homeless People died on Delhi Streets since 2004: MHA

As many as 33,000 homeless people have perished in the national capital since 2004. According to the data released by the zonal integrated police network under the union ministry, 33,518 homeless people died in Delhi between January 2004 and October 2015.

The maximum deaths were reported in June as 3,695 destitute’s died in this particular month during these years. Sunil Kumar Aledia of the Centre for Holistic Development, which tabulated the data, said paucity of night shelters was one of the major reasons for the high number of deaths.

“There are nearly 150,000 homeless people in Delhi, of which only 4,890 get shelter. This is a mere 3.2 percent of the homeless population in the capital city. The rest are left to fend for them squeezed into limited spaces available otherwise, running the risk of contracting diseases. They often sleep on the roadside that increases the chances of accidents,” Aledia said.

He said most homeless died of communicable diseases and malnutrition. Such diseases are caused by a lack of basic amenities and hygiene.

He also stated that only 82 of the 184 shelters in Delhi were permanent and remaining 102 were temporary. The National Urban Livelihood Mission’s Scheme for Shelters for the Urban Homeless (NULM-SUH) talks of providing 50 square feet of space per person.

“This is way below the norm. In 9.7 sq.ft., one has to sit and sleep,” he said.

Moreover, many city shelters lack basic amenities, including separate toilets for men and women, potable water and security. Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal recently made surprise visits at a few shelters and came across several anomalies in their functioning.