DEADLY FREEZE: Hundreds of homeless left to perish on streets amid shelter home failures
Srinagar, Nov 30: While Kashmir tucks under layers of comfort and warmth as nights freeze around minus five, hundreds of homeless live and sleep on pavements, streets, wrapped in flimsy blankets, and endure not just discomfort but life-threatening conditions.
This dire situation shows how, despite tall claims of infrastructure development, for the vulnerable, the plans, projects and even Supreme Court directions are a hoax.
During the last several weeks, many persons were found dead on roads in various areas of Srinagar who had probably died due to the cold.
The Supreme Court of India has repeatedly called for attention to this issue. In a 2011 order, it directed all states, including J&K, to establish sufficient night shelters to ensure "not a single person dies" from the cold. It emphasised permanent, 24/7 facilities equipped with basic facilities like water, sanitation, and healthcare, apart from warmth.
In 2016, the Supreme Court mandated states and UTs to protect the urban homeless, especially those who are struggling with mental health.
In Kashmir, winter nights are below freezing, with average lows around -2°C between October and December. Outdoor survival is perilous without adequate protection.
For years, homeless people sleep on pavements, under bridges, on the stairs of buildings and shops, or in abandoned spaces.
While it has been directed by GoI that existing unused Government buildings be turned into shelters, no such initiatives have moved in J&K. Even in the “Winter Preparedness” meetings of J&K Government, for decades, there has been no mention of the most vulnerable: those who live on streets, and have nowhere to hide from brutal cold, the rain, the snow, the strays, the pests and all sorts of perils.
Doctors Greater Kashmir spoke to said earlier, many homeless would take shelter in hospital corridors where central heating kept them relatively warm in winters. However, with beefed-up security measures in hospitals, these people are not allowed into the hospitals. A senior specialist said in Kashmir’s agrarian set-up, villagers used to take care of the homeless and sheltered them, many times in their homes. “It was considered an act of charity, and was quite common,” he said. However, with changing societal dynamics, such a practice has become very uncommon. He added that in addition to homes, many found shelter in the shrines of Kashmir.
Many of the homeless suffer from mental illnesses, schizophrenia being the commonest. Many others have intellectual challenges making them more vulnerable to weather-related and other risks. It is not uncommon to see women among the homeless, compounding their challenges out on the roads.
In August this year, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Tokhan Sahu stated in Lok Sabha that J&K has 10484 homeless people. The figure is based on the 2011 Census. The Minister also said that urban poverty alleviation was a responsibility of Urban Local Bodies.
In December 2024, the SC sought affidavits from states and UTs on winter shelter plans for the homeless. J&K, quite obviously, had nothing to show.
