NEW DELHI: Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav criticised the Delhi government for what he termed its “pattern of waking up only after accidents” and assailed the administration’s winter preparedness as well as its response to the needs of homeless citizens.
Yadav said the government failed to act despite the onset of severe cold, only reacting after people started dying on the streets and a fire broke out at Coolie Camp night shelter in Vasant Kunj. “Only after these incidents did ministers rush to make statements about arranging beds, blankets, food and security,” he said.
He questioned the very basis of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s winter action plan and surprise inspections by Minister Ashish Sood when, according to him, the government does not even have updated data on the number of homeless people in Delhi. Yadav said that despite orders from the Delhi High Court to assess the number of homeless people, neither the previous administration nor the current one had been able to come up with concrete figures. Criticising the government’s silence on the Vasant Kunj shelter fire that killed two people, Yadav said long-standing concerns over maintenance, safety and security in night shelters had repeatedly been ignored.
Yadav criticised the government for failing to report harassment in shelters, reopening closed facilities, and providing just 1,000 blankets against the required 10,000, leaving many homeless in the cold.