Delhi HC asks Kejriwal govt about providing meals to homeless people at shelter homes

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to Delhi Government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction to provide three nutritious meals a day, including breakfast, to the homeless at the shelter homes in the national capital.

The Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh sought a response from the Delhi government, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), and Department of Health and Family Welfare, slating the matter for June 4.

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

The plea stated, "The second wave of COVID-19 pandemic is raging in Delhi pursuant to which a lockdown has been imposed by the Delhi Government restricting 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 plea has also sought setting up of vaccine camps at shelter homes on a priority basis. It also sought direction to provide soaps, detergents, hand sanitizers, hand wash and masks to urban homeless in all shelter homes in the national capital. The national capital currently has 90,629 active coronavirus cases.