Night shelters in Jhajjar unoccupied, migrant labourers sleep in the open

Tribune News Service

Ravinder Saini

Jhajjar, January 10

More than 90 per cent beds in two shelter houses here remain unoccupied, but migrant labourers, including women and children, are still forced to sleep in the open in biting cold.

A group of more than 20 persons from Rajasthan have been sleeping on the footpath along the Gurugram road, near the mini secretariat, for the past several days, but no one is paying any heed to their plight.

One of the shelter houses has been set up on the Red Cross premises, which is equipped to facilitate 20 persons. Another shelter house has been put up at the new bus stand where arrangements have been made to accommodate more than 30 persons, said an official.

Jamuna, a migrant labourer, said he, along with his family, had come here from Rajasthan to arrange at least two square meals for themselves. “We are not being allowed to stay at the shelters,” he added.

Gopal, another man from Rajasthan, said he, along with a few others, went to the bus stand to stay but the officials deputed there refused. They were then forced to sleep in the open in this severe cold, he added.

Another labourer Sitaram said they felt the winter chills at night, but did not know about any stay arrangements made by the district authorities for them.

“We go to work during the daytime, and return here in the evening to sleep,” said Gattu, a woman labourer.

Deepak, in charge of shelter houses, said only a few homeless persons had stayed at the shelter house set up on the Red Cross premises in the past one month. “No migrant labourer has been stopped from staying at any of the two night shelters. Everyday at night, even our vehicle rides through the city to bring the homeless sleeping in the open to the shelter houses,” added Deepak.

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