The middle-class women in distress will soon have a State Government-provided second home for temporary stay. Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) along with the Women and Child Welfare Department are in the final stages of setting up two such ultra modern shelters, which will become functional by July, officials said.
The homes will provide temporary shelters to the women who are victim of domestic violence, rape or confronting other difficult conditions at their homes. The two upcoming homes will be modelled on the lines of commercial guest rooms and will provide all the basic amenities along with food. The State Government has taken such an initiative for the first time for the middle class women.
The social welfare department and the women and child welfare department though are operating several shelters for the homeless women, but all the homes are reserved, especially for the destitute and women requiring medical attention. However, even after witnessing a jump in the cases of domestic violence and rapes, the city lacks homes that can provide shelter to the middle class women in distress. Realising this problem, DUSIB and Women and Child Welfare department have taken the responsibility to come to aid of such women belonging to middle class households, who currently have no place to go to.
A DUSIB official said that the upcoming homes will be quite different from the ones operational at present. For these homes, DUSIB has allocated lands at Sunlight Colony in South Delhi and a plot near the Mata Sundari College on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg in Central Delhi. The home at Sunlight Colony will be able to provide shelter to 50 women, while the one in Central Delhi will be able to provide shelter to 20 women. "The layout of both the homes are about to be finalised. Both the plots at present have big halls, which will be converted into several rooms, toilets and kitchen for the women," said the official.
"The homes will be available on a temporary basis so that the women in distress can have shelter in the need of the hour. Though they will be modelled on the lines of the commercial guest houses, they won't be commercial for the women in need. Apart from the basic food and lodging facilities, these homes will be furnished with the furniture, bed, television and almirahs. The homes will be made operational by July 15," said the official.