UN, India Supreme Court urge Delhi to protect homeless from cold wave

(January 22, 2010) A United Nations independent human rights expert on Wednesday voiced concern over the deaths of homeless people in India’s capital from a cold wave, underscoring the need for adequate shelter to protect them from harsh weather. “The lives of hundreds of homeless people in India are at risk as temperatures near zero degrees,” said Raquel Rolnik, the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing. Ten homeless people have lost their lives in the past month in New Delhi, while some 100 people have reportedly died in northern India due to the freezing cold over the last few weeks. Also on Wednesday, India’s Supreme Court, acting on a petition from the human rights organisation ‘People’s Union of Civil Liberties,’ ordered the Delhi state government to ensure that no one suffers for want of shelter. "If there are no shelters, put them in some vacant buildings,” it said, noting that "malnutrition and hunger are … making people susceptible to extreme weather conditions.’’ The number of homeless people in India has grown since 2007, but the number of shelters for them has plummeted from 46 to 24 in New Delhi, Rolnik pointed out. This year’s Commonwealth Games appears to be driving the closing down of shelters in New Delhi, with public authorities evicting homeless people and tearing down their places of residence in spite of the frigid temperatures.