The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued notices to the Director (Night Shelter) and Additional Commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation over "irregularities" in the functioning of night shelters.
DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal, who along with the members of the Commission visited four night shelters for women in Nizamuddin and Jama Masjid area and spent night in the Jama Masjid shelter home on October 10, pointed out several glaring anomalies in the functioning of these shelters.
"The female and male night shelters are adjacent to each other in the same complex, with no apparent security restrictions which raises concerns about the security of women. Toilets are very few and no separate toilets have been designated for women, only one lady caretaker was present in the Jama Masjid night shelter, rest of all were male guards.
"Also, there were no CCTV cameras present in and around either of the shelters," Maliwal said in her letter to the Director (Night Shelter).
Pointing out infrastructural issues, Maliwal said that despite presence of over 150 people in the Jama Masjid night shelter, there were only 4 toilets for both men and women without any demarcation, out of which one was locked as staff toilet.
The water tanker supply from Delhi Jal Board at the Jama Masjid night shelter is extremely irregular, due to which even drinking water is unavailable for days.
She also noted that no drinking water coolers are present at any of the shelters and that in the Jama Masjid shelter, food was not made available to people and cooking was not allowed near the premises.
"In Jama Masjid area, several women are sleeping outside in the open. A mentally-ill woman was identified who was thrown out by other residents of the night shelter. An acid attack victim was also found to be sleeping in open. Many of the women were drug addicts. These appears to be an urgent need for separate night shelters for addicted women and measures for de-addiction need to be initiated.
"....Please take responsibility and identify the reasons for these shortcomings. Also, please provide a detailed point-wise status report which should include the steps that will taken to improve the situation," Maliwal said in her letter.
The Commission in its notice to the director (Night Shelter) has sought information on the preparations of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) ahead of the winter season.
The notice to TK Meena, director, night shelter of DUSIB, was issued after Maliwal, along with DCW member Sarika Chaudhary and two volunteers visited three night shelters in Nizamuddin and Jama Masjid areas in the national capital on October 10, the official said.
She also sought information regarding the preparations of DUSIB for the approaching winter and also asked for a list of temporary night shelters that DUSIB was planning to setup during winter. "Please provide the details of all women and family night shelters in Delhi along with complete address and capacity. Also detail the additional arrangements which is planned by DUSIB for homeless women and children during the forthcoming winter season," she wrote in the letter.
Maliwal also issued notice to the SHO Jama Masjid police station in connection with the complaint of children gone missing from a night shelter in the area.