New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) Coming to the rescue of the homeless in the chilly winter, the Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the city government not to remove temporary night shelters constructed near the railway tracks in south Delhi.
A division bench Chief Justice D. Murugesan and Justice V.K. Jain asked the government not to remove the shelters near railway tracks in Okhla till April and directed it to “ensure the safety of inmates till that period”.
“We are not inclined to pass directions for the removal of these shelters. Night shelters will remain there till the end of April,” the court said.
The court asked the government to find another place to shift the shelter for the next winter, adding that railway land could not to be used for shelters.
The court’s direction came on an application filed by the railways saying that the construction of night shelters on its land should be banned.
The court asked Delhi government’s counsel Najmi Waziri to file a report on the construction of permanent night shelters near Jama Masjid in central Delhi.
The court would next hear the matter Jan 9.
The maximum temperature in the national capital broke a 43-year record Wednesday when it touched a mere 9.8 degrees Celsius, 11 notches below normal.
