Observing that reports of the GHMC and Women and Child Welfare department in two PIL pleas relating to shelter homes were superficial, the Telangana High Court on Thursday directed them to file detailed reports by May 15.
A bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy said the content of the reports was vague and did not have specific information. A lawyer S. Nanda wrote to the HC, seeking a direction to the government to provide details of shelter homes meant for homeless set up by the government due to lockdown.
Retired professor P.L. Vishweshwar Rao addressed a separate letter on the conditions of shelter homes set up for street children, women and migrant workers. The HC took up both letters as PIL pleas and sought reports from the GHMC and the Women and Child Welfare department that furnished reports separately.
Perusing the reports, the CJ said the GHMC gave superficial information about the persons living on streets during lockdown. Precise details like how many of them were workers, physically challenged and mentally ill were not provided to assess the situation, the bench noted.
The lawyer expressed apprehensions that COVID-19 could spread with some homeless people eating, sleeping and even attending nature’s calls on pavements. Some of these pavement dwellers could be migrant workers and beggars, the advocate mentioned.
The GHMC vaguely said homeless persons were shifted to shelter homes without providing any specific information about the categories of persons and the places they were sent to, the bench observed. Mr. Visheshwar Rao, who expressed his contentions through video-conferencing as party in person, said the government had to help the street children, helpless women and migrant workers irrespective of availability of funds.
Mr. Rao said the authorities were not permitting non-governmental organisations to reach out to street children and women in need of help. The civic body’s report says NGOs were allowed to help street children but no information was given about which NGOs were accorded permission.
Advocate General B.S. Prasad said he got the details from government and sought time to collate them and file the report.
