Recommended Delhi govt to provide 3 meals a day to children living in shelter homes, DUSIB informs HC

The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) through affidavit has informed Delhi High Court that, it has recommended to the Government of NCT of Delhi to at least provide three meals a day to the children living in shelter homes looking at the prevalent COVID pandemic situation.

"We further recommend to the Government of NCT of Delhi that, as and when the financial position permits, they may provide three meals a day to the homeless persons living in shelter homes," states DSUIB affidavit.

The reply of DSUIB has come as a response on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking three times nutritious meal and vaccine camp for homeless people.

The Delhi High Court had earlier sought the response of Delhi Government and DSUIB on a plea seeking direction to provide 3 nutritious meals a day including breakfast to the homeless at the shelter homes in Delhi.

DSUIB affidavit also states that "we direct that the Government of NCT of Delhi, with the assistance of experts, should examine whether the provision currently made is sufficient to meet the minimum nutritional requirements of persons in the homeless shelters and take adequate measures in consonance with their recommendations".

The Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh on Monday deferred the matter for September 27 after petition sought time to file counter affidavit in the matter.

The petitioner NGO Bandhua Mukti Morcha through advocate Anupradha Singh sought implementation of a decision taken on September 25, 2020, whereby Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board held its 29th meeting where the board considered and approved the agenda for providing 3 free meals a day including breakfast to the homeless at shelter homes in Delhi on the recommendation.

Plea stated that the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is raging in Delhi pursuant to which a lockdown has been imposed by the Delhi Government restricting the movement of workers. Workers are not able to gain employment and are suffering economically.

Most of the workers staying at shelter homes don't have any documentation. Some are interstate migrant workers who don't have a Delhi-based Ration card. Therefore, the workers have little means to feed themselves and their children. The number of Covid-19 cases are increasing every day infecting people from all sections of society. Homeless people are particularly vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus due to their exposure and low immunity. In the shelter homes, people are reported to be sick however, the isolation centres which were running in 2020 have been closed, plea added.

The petition also prays direction to set up camps at the shelter homes and vaccinate the homeless people with their consent on priority and to provide soaps, detergents, hand sanitisers, hand wash and masks to urban homeless in all shelter homes in Delhi with medical aid to them.

( With inputs from ANI )