Tucked away behind Sant Parmanand Hospital near Nigambodh Ghat, a group of 10 men sit crouched around a dying fire pit. Having finished a hard day's work, they rub their hands over the embers, drinking cups of tea and wait till it's time to retire to their beds in the homeless shelter nearby in Dandi Park. The shelter is comparatively bigger than others in the city, with a large airy courtyard and a mohalla clinic on its premises. However, the shelter has been barely getting by since the floods inundated the area in July this year. “We have electricity bills that haven't been paid for since August; the shelter hasn't been receiving food since July, either,” said Vicky Chandel (33), the caretaker of the shelter. Chandel alleged that ever since the floods, little to no help has been afforded to the shelter by DUSIB. “Had some of the residents and I not cleaned up this place, you would still be walking in ankle-deep mud here. Yahaan sab Ram bharose chalta hai (We have left everything to God),” he said. “The mattresses and blankets are still caked in mud and sand,” said Abdul Kayum (56), a daily wage labourer who lives in the shelter. "Some of us choose to buy our own mattresses and blankets to use. Others wash the muddy supplies and sleep in them,” he said. According to others, some also choose to sleep on the streets in the hope of receiving blankets from altruistic passersby. “During the winter months, lots of people come to donate blankets to the poor. When someone receives a blanket, they come back to the shelter to sleep in the warmth,” said Shriraj Nayar (35), a daily wage worker. The homeless shelter in Dandi Park once used to be able to house around 800 people in the five cabins in its compound. One of the five was dedicated to the elderly homeless while the rest were for the male general population. Today, two of the five remain shut due to unpaid electricity bills, said Chandel. The remaining three manage to rely on donations, goodwill and the sheer grit of the caretakers. According to DUSIB officials, the shelter's operations have been halted due to the shelter being on the Yamuna floodplains. Earlier this week, tents for the homeless had been set up within the shelter's compound, only for them to be dismantled a few days later due to approval issues, said an official on the condition of anonymity. For now, the homeless living in the shelter manage to survive on food from the nearby Hanuman temple and langars organised by the Sis Ganj Sahib Gurudwara. “There are mostly elderly men who live here,” said Bipin Rai (29), a daily wage worker originally from Guwahati. “They probably need the most amount of help. We are able bodied so we manage to get by,” he added.
