GCC surrendered ₹8 cr meant for building shelters for homeless: Report

FROM being one of the first cities in the country to set up shelters for urban homeless in 1944, Chennai seems to have lost its focus on eradicating homelessness, according to a recent report by the Information & Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities.

- NIRUPAMA VISWANATHAN

The city corporation, in the 10th project sanctioning committee for Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAYNULM) in January, announced its decision to surrender a whopping 7.97 crore allocated for the construction of nine shelters citing 'non-availability of land', the report stated.

Even while destitute persons are exposed to the heatwave this summer, newly constructed shelters and those with which NGOs withdrew their contracts or got terminated, remain closed for months. This includes the shelter on Subbarayan Street, CDH Hospital, which was for persons with psychosocial issues, and shelters in Kannapar Thidal, Chamiers Road, Triplicane and Saidapet. TNIE reported in 2022 that the GCC closed four shelters, shifting 30 inmates after contracts with NGOs were terminated.

In addition to this, in Sholinganallur, a building that was intended to be used as a shelter is currently used as the Munsif cum Judicial Magistrate Court and another in Elango Nagar in Tondiarpet zone is currently functioning as a PHC.