The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Government Chief Secretary and relevant authorities to address a representation requesting a comprehensive survey of Delhi’s homeless population and an evaluation of existing shelter home services. Homelessness in Delhi has been a longstanding concern since the 1950s, with no reliable data on the city’s homeless population. Past reports highlight significant urban inequities and the need for targeted interventions.
A 2010 survey recorded 67,151 homeless individuals, but subsequent surveys have produced conflicting figures, underscoring the absence of a standardized data collection process. Urgent intervention is crucial as wintertime is a time of homeless deaths.
The plea argues that it is difficult to confidently say that a person on the street is a homeless person, as it becomes a commentary on the criminal negligence of the state towards the life of that person.
It is important to identify homeless people when they are alive so that when they are dead due to nature, accidents, or starvation, all aspects of state, neglect, their deaths are acknowledged as homeless deaths.
The plea also calls for a comprehensive survey of the homeless population to ensure a more effective allocation of resources and service delivery.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MHUA) has acknowledged that the responsibility for conducting this survey lies with the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, though the survey remains incomplete.
The plea highlights that many individuals, particularly from marginalized communities, became homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic and that numerous demolitions over the past year have further displaced a large number of people.
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Source: Business Standard
