KMC all keyed to set up night shelters, search for vacant lands on

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to set up a healthy number of night shelters for vagabonds and footpath and slum dwellers. Member Mayor-in-Council (Bustee Development) Swapan Samaddar, chaired a meeting with borough chairmen, borough engineers and state agencies like the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), Kolkata Improvement Trust (KIT), Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) at the KMC headquarters on Thursday, to arrive at a decision.

"Land availability is emerging as a major hurdle for our plan to construct night shelters in the city. We have urged all government agencies to identify vacant lands where we can set up such shelters. They have been given a fortnight to get it done with the selection process," said Samaddar.

At present, Kolkata has around 40 night shelters of which 35 have been set up by the state government and five by the KMC.

These five shelters are located at Chetla, Bhowanipore, Galiff Street, Gauribari Lane and Raja Manindra Road and can accommodate around 2,500 people on a daily basis. "We are already preparing a DPR to set up another night shelter at Mahatma Gandhi Road in Ward 122," he added.

The officials from the Railways and the Kolkata Port Trust had also been urged to attend the meeting but they skipped it for unknown reasons.

However, another problem faced by the KMC with regards to night shelters is encroachment.

"We have found that some shelters are being been occupied by vagabonds and footpath dwellers. We will clear such encroachments," informed a senior KMC official said.