KMC plans more shelters for pavement dwellers in city

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is setting up more shelters for pavement dwellers in the city.

According to the civic body’s social welfare and urban poverty alleviation department, notable progress was made in the context of its activities through the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM). About 13 shelters for urban homeless (SUH) are functional for the pavement dwellers

in the city.

This year, another three shelters for urban homeless will be made operational. One of these, located at Naskar Para Bapuji Colony in Ward 92, will have accommodation for 32 persons. The second one, located at Gandhi Colony in Ward 95, will accommodate 94 homeless persons while the third, at Murari Pukur Road in Ward 14, will be able to accommodate 208 persons.

It was further learnt that in addition to these, construction of such shelters will be completed this year at 33 Canal A, B & C Road under Ward 57, an additional unit beside an existing one at MG Road in Ward 122 and two additional shelter units at Murari Pukur Road.

According to the NULM scheme, the shelters should be permanent all-weather shelters for the urban homeless. For every one lakh urban population, provisions should be made for permanent community shelters for a minimum of one hundred persons. Depending upon local conditions, each shelter should preferably cater to 50 or more persons. In exceptional situations, shelters with lesser capacity could also be approved.

Further, the scheme recommends location of such shelters should be close to homeless concentrations and work sites as far as practicable.