Shelters for the homeless a great idea
There are many homeless people living in Navi Mumbai. These people live on footpaths or pavements. They have little problems during daytime. But at night they face severe problems especially during rainy season and winter times. During winters, the cold is unbearable. The plight of these people becomes very pathetic. These people at least need night shelters.
Even the Supreme Court has realized the need of these people and has given direction to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to provide night shelters to them. The NMMC then asked City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to allot plots so that it could construct night shelters and accommodate maximum, if not all, homeless people in these shelters.
This is indeed a great idea. But this idea requires quick implementation since delay in making this idea a reality will only cause untold miseries to those people who reside in the open.
If CIDCO allots the land, the NMMC will construct shelters with two separate sections for women and men. Under-aged boys below 14 will be allowed to stay in the women's section. As per rules, the NMMC has to supply these people with coats, mats, bedsheets, pillows and lockers.
There are already a few shelters being run by NGOs and kind charity organizations in the city. But there is a limit to which they can accommodate these homeless people. As per rules, a night shelter has to be constructed for every lakh population in a given city. Now Navi Mumbai has a population of around 12 lakhs and hence there is a need of 12 night shelters here.
It is strange that the NMMC has yet to construct the first night shelter. The NMMC needed the Supreme Court to direct it to construct such shelters. The question is why couldn't the NMMC authorities get this idea on their own? Why did they need to be told by the court? It was all the time very obvious that Navi Mumbai was badly in need of night shelters since there were so many homeless people residing on the footpaths and falling prey to diseases and accidents. Major cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai have been providing night shelters since independence. Then why Navi Mumbai is badly lagging behind in this matter? Why couldn't the NMMC take cue from these major cities and construct night shelters which were badly needed here. The NMMC woke up only when Supreme Court issued the orders.
The NMMC has big ideas like providing education to those needy children who occupy the shelter. The NMMC is working out a roadmap to develop night shelters close to railway stations, bus stands, hospitals and pilgrimage centers. But CIDCO too will have to cooperate and make lands available near such spots and that too urgently.
It is true that the NMMC has got this idea of constructing night shelters very late. But it is better late than never.
There are many homeless people living in Navi Mumbai. These people live on footpaths or pavements. They have little problems during daytime. But at night they face severe problems especially during rainy season and winter times. During winters, the cold is unbearable. The plight of these people becomes very pathetic. These people at least need night shelters.
Even the Supreme Court has realized the need of these people and has given direction to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to provide night shelters to them. The NMMC then asked City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to allot plots so that it could construct night shelters and accommodate maximum, if not all, homeless people in these shelters.
This is indeed a great idea. But this idea requires quick implementation since delay in making this idea a reality will only cause untold miseries to those people who reside in the open.
If CIDCO allots the land, the NMMC will construct shelters with two separate sections for women and men. Under-aged boys below 14 will be allowed to stay in the women's section. As per rules, the NMMC has to supply these people with coats, mats, bedsheets, pillows and lockers.
There are already a few shelters being run by NGOs and kind charity organizations in the city. But there is a limit to which they can accommodate these homeless people. As per rules, a night shelter has to be constructed for every lakh population in a given city. Now Navi Mumbai has a population of around 12 lakhs and hence there is a need of 12 night shelters here.
It is strange that the NMMC has yet to construct the first night shelter. The NMMC needed the Supreme Court to direct it to construct such shelters. The question is why couldn't the NMMC authorities get this idea on their own? Why did they need to be told by the court? It was all the time very obvious that Navi Mumbai was badly in need of night shelters since there were so many homeless people residing on the footpaths and falling prey to diseases and accidents. Major cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai have been providing night shelters since independence. Then why Navi Mumbai is badly lagging behind in this matter? Why couldn't the NMMC take cue from these major cities and construct night shelters which were badly needed here. The NMMC woke up only when Supreme Court issued the orders.
The NMMC has big ideas like providing education to those needy children who occupy the shelter. The NMMC is working out a roadmap to develop night shelters close to railway stations, bus stands, hospitals and pilgrimage centers. But CIDCO too will have to cooperate and make lands available near such spots and that too urgently.
It is true that the NMMC has got this idea of constructing night shelters very late. But it is better late than never.
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