Patiala: Night shelters empty, homeless on roads

Tribune News Service

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, January 25

The district administration has built four temporary night shelters in the city, but The Tribune team encountered empty beds at these shelters during a recent visit. This raises questions about the administration’s lofty claims about the utility of these temporary living spaces.

At the night shelter near Shri Kali Devi Mandir, only one occupant was found in the women's wing, while only three men had sought and found refuge in their section.

However, out in the open, people were seen clearing the floor and making a bed to sleep, amid low temperatures. With the mercury dropping to as low as 5°C at night, conditions are brutal for the homeless in the open, yet they are not in the night shelters. Why? One man who was visibly unwell shared his ordeal about visiting a night shelter — he was asked to leave due to the ‘nuisance’ caused by his children. "We were allowed to stay at the shelter for a few days before being asked to leave,” he said. “The night shelter caretaker said that our children were causing a nuisance.”

In such brutal conditions, the homeless have been trying to protect themselves from the cold by lighting small fires, which provide them some relief. Children, cold and coughing as if struck by illness, huddled closer to the fire, while the elders formed a protective circle around them.

The dire situation prompted a homeless man to reflect on his desperate situation, emphasising his reliance on public generosity. He said, “People visit the dargah in the morning on Thursdays, which is why we have congregated in the vicinity, to gather donations. The Kali Devi Mandir and Dukhniwaran Sahib Gurdwara are nearby, too. Although a considerable number of devotees visit these places on Saturdays, most people flock to Dukhniwaran Sahib on Sundays.”

Shaina Kapoor, district child protection officer, said, “We are aware that these homeless people have begun to abandon the night shelters and have started erecting temporary settlements on the footpath close to religious places in the city. They converge at religious places in the hope that people might offer them food, clothes and money. We have intensified our drive to take them back to the temporary shelters. Stringent action would be taken against those who use children to beg.”

What the admn offers in shelters

The administration has emphasised that these night shelters were equipped with facilities such as warm water, first aid kits, clean and comfortable beds, CCTV cameras, RO water, and firefighting equipment.

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