‘City’s homeless lack sheets, face health risks during monsoon’

Ahead of the northeast monsoon, galore stateless people, including infants and the elderly, person been recovered sleeping without blankets, which exposes them to nationalist wellness risk.

Of the 13,000 stateless radical identified by the Greater Chennai Corporation, lone 1,200 person been housed successful stateless shelters astatine 48 locations, according to GCC officials.

Sensitisation initiative

With the World Homeless Day being observed connected October 10, the GCC has decided to sensitise non-governmental organisations, residents’ associations, councillors, and officials to the request to guarantee the information of stateless residents.

R. Manonmani, a stateless pistillate who stays successful Royapettah, said children were prone to wellness risks arsenic they slept without a blanket. “We person requested to determination to a structure during the rains,” she said. GCC City Health Officer M. Jagadeesan said stateless radical were unwilling to usage the shelters of the GCC arsenic they were not permitted to enactment unneurotic arsenic a family, and women were housed successful a antithetic shelter.

According to a caller survey by the IRCDUC (Information and Resource Centre for Deprived Urban Communities), 48% of those experiencing thoroughfare situations successful the metropolis slept without immoderate covers.

“Sleeping without immoderate screen during the monsoon exposes radical to continuous rainfall and dampness, starring to terrible wellness risks specified arsenic fever and respiratory infections. The hazard is higher for infants, the elderly, and persons with pre-existing wellness conditions,” said Vanessa Peter, founder, IRCDUC.

“Only 8% of the individuals experiencing thoroughfare situations are consenting to usage the shelters. They are acrophobic that they volition suffer their work, their freedom, if they determination to GCC shelters,” she said.

Families evicted

Near the Rohini theatre, astir 30 families from Red Hills, engaged successful thoroughfare performance, person been surviving connected the streets for livelihood. As the GCC has a connection to conception a parkland nether the Koyambedu people separator flyover, these families person been asked to vacate the spot earlier Deepavali.

GCC Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran said stateless radical would beryllium taken to alleviation centres during the monsoon. “The GCC volition acceptable up implicit 200 alleviation centres. These volition supply structure for them during the rain,” helium said.