Homeless get creative for protection from chill

New Delhi: “Necessity is the mother of invention,” the homeless in the capital can explain the idiom appropriately. The dipping mercury has forced the destitute of the city to get creative and use anything and almost everything at their disposal to brave cold winter nights.

Since shelters and ren baseras only absorb a fraction of the homeless, the ones left out on the streets have started using brooms — as makeshift beds, pillows and covers. A reality check, not far away from the government provided night shelters, reveals the levels of apathy.

In the Sultanpuri area of the national capital, where these brooms are made, the homeless use up the stockpile from the wholesale shops to save them from the winter chill at night. Brooms are not the only creative solutions that they have come up with. Plastic sheets, gunny bags, sewer pipelines — all come to their rescue to protect them from the biting cold.

“There is no option with these people and since there has been no clarity on numbers, the homless are forced to use different items to keep warm,” said Sunil Kumar Aledia, who works with the Centre for Holistic Development. The Centre for Holistic Development has written to the Delhi chief minister seeking more facilities for the unfortunate.

The NGO has sought more shelters for families and women on the streets. The NGO working in the sector feels the government lacks understanding of the statistics.

“The government feels that night shelters are not full, but the reality is that the shelters are running full capacity. There are no routine checks. The DUSIB has conducted an inspection over the weekend, but there are no directions as yet,” explained Mr Aledia.

Around one per cent of the city’s population is homeless.