‘Ceiling made of tin… no water, electricity’: Delhi’s homeless battle the heat at shelters

The Delhi government runs 343 shelter homes for homeless people. As per the DUSIB’s Shelter Homes Occupancy Report, around 3,015 people were living in these homes on Tuesday with the figure rising up to Rs 4,743 in the night. The Indian Express visited three such homes to find out how its inhabitants are faring in the heat.

Motia Khan, shelter home

Here, several people could be seen sitting outside the building on a cot — some making toys, others cooking lunch. The building is dimly lit and has a musty smell.

Surja Bai, 60, living here for the last 15 years, says, “The building is no longer liveable. There’s no regular water or electricity supply despite the heat.”

Akash, 24, says, “Itna kam paani aata hai, kabhi-kabhi aapas mein ladai ho jaati hai (The water supply is so inadequate that sometimes, families fight among themselves).”

Showing his inked finger, he says: “We vote here, but get no facilities.” His friend Ajay says people are forced to sleep outside due to the heat. Irru, who belongs to Hyderabad, says, “The NGO has left us on our own.”

The Indian Express tried to contact the caretaker of the facility, run by Sadik Masih Medical Social Servant Society, but received no response.

Porta cabin, Chandni Chowk

At the porta cabin run by Sofia Agency, residents seemed a little less dissatisfied. “Everything is fine here… we just need a water cooler,” says Nand Kishore, 62, who runs a tea shop.

Caretaker Chandreshwar N Sharma had his complaints, though. “The drinking water is so hot that it feels like it has come out of a geyser,” he says, adding the water cooler went out-of-service a year ago.

“The ceiling in these cabins (there are two of them) is made of tin, which heats up in the summers,” says Sharma, adding each cabin has three desert coolers.

Night shelter, Old Delhi Railway station

This one seemed best-equipped with 7-8 desert coolers, 60 fans, and a water cooler. Caretaker Chandan Kumar Mishra says the bathrooms get regular water supply. This facility too is run by Sofia Agency.

Surender, 75, an inhabitant, is all praise for the caretakers. “They are very good people…” Umesh and Noor Husain agree. “Whatever our demands are, the caretakers make sure to fulfil them, sometimes even paying out of their own pockets.”

(The writer is an intern with The Indian Express)