No water at night shelters, six engineers suspended
6 May 2014 5:53 AM IST
Najeeb Jung, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, has suspended six engineers for failing to supply water at night shelters.
Considering water as the ‘most critical element’ in summer, especially for the homeless, Jung has also instructed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to ensure availability of water at all the 181 night shelters in the national capital.
In the report, the officials of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) informed that on 30 April and 1 May, during their visits to the night shelters, no water was found in seven of them which are located at Taimur Nagar, Neela Gumbad, Vasant Vihar Pahari and four around Sarai Kale Khan Bus terminal respectively.
‘Taking cognisance of the laxity of supervision in the seven night shelters where water was unavailable, six junior engineers and assistant engineers have been placed under suspension. Show-cause notices have been issued to the NGOs managing these night shelters,’ a senior Delhi government official said in a statement. Following Jung’s directive, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board inspected all the night shelters and found that seven of them did not have water.
The LG’s secretariat also instructed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which supplies water across the city, to ensure free and regular water supply to all of the 181 night shelters in Delhi. Jung has asked the authorities not to be lax when it comes to supplying water.
The officials further said that if no satisfactory answer were received from the NGOs responsible for taking care of the seven night shelters, legal action will be initiated against them. ‘We cannot allow such NGOs to run the night shelters. It is a matter of life and death of the homeless people. We need sensible and responsible NGOs. If the NGOs were found guilty, they will be removed with immediate effect and new ones will be invited to take over,’ the official added.
According to the government officials there are some 50,000 homeless people in Delhi but the NGOs suspect the number is more than 1.5 lakh.
Considering water as the ‘most critical element’ in summer, especially for the homeless, Jung has also instructed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to ensure availability of water at all the 181 night shelters in the national capital.
In the report, the officials of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) informed that on 30 April and 1 May, during their visits to the night shelters, no water was found in seven of them which are located at Taimur Nagar, Neela Gumbad, Vasant Vihar Pahari and four around Sarai Kale Khan Bus terminal respectively.
‘Taking cognisance of the laxity of supervision in the seven night shelters where water was unavailable, six junior engineers and assistant engineers have been placed under suspension. Show-cause notices have been issued to the NGOs managing these night shelters,’ a senior Delhi government official said in a statement. Following Jung’s directive, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board inspected all the night shelters and found that seven of them did not have water.
The LG’s secretariat also instructed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which supplies water across the city, to ensure free and regular water supply to all of the 181 night shelters in Delhi. Jung has asked the authorities not to be lax when it comes to supplying water.
The officials further said that if no satisfactory answer were received from the NGOs responsible for taking care of the seven night shelters, legal action will be initiated against them. ‘We cannot allow such NGOs to run the night shelters. It is a matter of life and death of the homeless people. We need sensible and responsible NGOs. If the NGOs were found guilty, they will be removed with immediate effect and new ones will be invited to take over,’ the official added.
According to the government officials there are some 50,000 homeless people in Delhi but the NGOs suspect the number is more than 1.5 lakh.
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