NEW DELHI: With nearly one lakh homeless in Delhi and just about enough shelters to accommodate 6,200 individuals, leaving the remaining 94 per cent to fend for themselves, a human rights groups has demanded urgent measures to improve the lot of the shelterless, especially women and children, who are more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence.

In its report, the Housing and Land Rights Network has stated that at present there are only 12 permanent shelters, 16 temporary shelters, four porta cabins and 22 temporary tents available for use by Delhi's homeless, which together offer accommodation to 6,200 individuals.

And while there are about 10,000 homeless women in Delhi, the report states that there are only three shelters available for them with maximum capacity of accommodating only about 100 or just 1 per cent of their population.

"Although the state of being homeless presents an undeniably harsh and unforgiving reality for anyone, especially during the winter months,'' the report states that "it is women and children who tend to experience more acutely the adverse impacts of the lack of adequate shelter''. The homeless women, it points out, are also exposed to the increased risk of illness and starvation associated with life on the street.

The report also takes the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Government to task for the poor condition of most night shelters and their "continued derogation from the responsibility to help care for the most vulnerable segments of society''. The shelters, it said, are characterised by a state of general disrepair, and are grossly inadequate and unsanitary. Also, they lack proper drinking water facilities, medical facilities, storage facilities, beddings and toilets.

As for the 22 tents set up by the Delhi Government under the Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan during the winters -- which saw the temperature dip to a 70 year low of 0.2 degrees Celsius -- the rights group has pointed out that as per project officer Ram Kishan himself "the tents are mostly constructed of poor quality material, often with gaping holes. They are by and large flimsy and crude and do not provide adequate protection from the cold and rain''.

Stating that the current lack of sufficient and adequate shelter, together with the continued inaction on the part of the relevant authorities to address the situation, amounts to a fundamental derogation from such responsibilities and a glaring violation of human rights of the homeless, the report notes that the eviction of about 1.30 lakh people from their homes in Yamuna Pushta as part of a campaign of urban renewal has only made the situation worse since only 16 per cent of those evicted had been considered eligible for compensation or rehabilitation of any kind.

Referring to human rights implication of the current situation of homelessness, special rapporteur of the human rights organisation, Moloon Kothari, said: ``The recurrent phenomenon of homelessness in the Capital demonstrates the failure of governance at all levels of authority. The inability of the local, State and Central Government to reduce homelessness is a violation of the human rights accorded to the residents of Delhi by the Constitution and numerous international instruments ratified by India.''

In the view of the prevailing situation, HLRN has demanded that the number of accommodations for the homeless be increased, they be provided with proper water and sanitation, the structures would be more sound, sanitary and weather-resistant, an official survey be undertaken to accurately determine the number of homeless, and more concrete buildings be constructed to deal with the problem on a long term basis.

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