New Delhi: In the last three winters, over 35,000 homeless were found sleeping in the open. Over the years, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has rescued these shelter-less people and shifted them into nearby shelter homes.
The data accessed by Millennium Post revealed that from November 15, 2017 to March 2018, as many as 11,496 homeless were found sleeping with no roof over their heads.
"All were shifted to nearby shelter homes by the rescue teams," said DUSIB official.
The data shows that from November 19, 2018 to March 2019, about 19,369 homeless were shifted to shelter homes after they were found sleeping on the streets or at other places in the open.
"From November 15, 2019, to January 2, 2020, our 17 rescue teams shifted 4,623 homeless to the nearest shelter homes," an official said.
During this winter, DUSIB received as many as 82 complaints related to homeless people through their application or helpline number in their control room.
It led to the rescue of 22 people, about 27 people refused to shift and in 11 complaints, the homeless could not be traced.
On the night of January 1, nearly 9,808 homeless slept in 221 night shelters.
Ordinary Delhiites also play an important role in the rescue of homeless from the bone-chilling weather. They are often the ones who inform the concerned authority regarding the shelter-less people sleeping in the open.
According to DUSIB official, Bipin Rai, residents send pictures and other details of homeless people on their mobile application for the homeless — Rain Basera.
"After uploading the pictures in the application, a message is sent to the rescue teams, along with the details of the location where the pictures were taken. The team reaches the spot and rescues the shelter-less people," said Rai.
He further said that after the homeless were found to be ill during the rescue operation, they are taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
"Few homeless are reluctant to shift into night shelters but we try to persuade them so that they can be saved from the icy winds and the bone-chilling cold," he added.