Telangana High Court demands detailed report on shelter homes

Hyderabad: Hearing upon the Taken Up PIL through video conference on Thursday regarding Shelter Homes in the State, the High Court Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy termed GHMC Commissioner's report as vague.

The report submitted to the court by the GHMC Commissioner has not clearly mentioned how many physically challenged, mentally ill and migrant labourers who are continuing to stay on pavements during the lockdown are shifted to shelter homes.

The Chief Justice Bench was dealing with a taken up PIL based on a letter addressed by Advocate S Nanda, who informed the court that there are more migrant labourers, physically challenged, mentally ill persons, beggars who are still staying on the pavements of the twin cities, eating, sleeping, urinating and further sleeping on pavements in groups, which may lead to the outbreak of Covid-19.

The GHMC Commissioner in the report furnished that many such poor people were shifted to the shelter homes. CJ Chauhan enquired about which category persons are shifted and to which shelter homes they are accommodated.

Replying to the bench GHMC Commissioner Said 28 such poor persons were shifted to shelter home at Saroornagar. In another taken up public interest litigation based on the letter addressed by Rtd. Professor PL Vishveshwar Rao, who sought a direction to the State Government to permit the NGOs to reach out to the child care centres, women shelters and migrant labour with essential supplies so as to ease their plight during this lockdown as the officials are not permitting them to reach out to such people during this lockdown.

The GHMC Commissioner, in his report, stated that NGOs are allowed to reach out to people who are in need of help. It is not clear as to which NGO and how many NGOs are permitted, he explained.

Informing the Bench, Advocate General B.S. Prasad sought a short adjournment so as to enable him to get the detailed reports.

The CJ Bench directed the GHMC Commissioner to file a detailed report by May 15.