Jammu, December 30: A long barrack-like dingy structure adjacent to a slaughter house in Dogra Chowk is one among the two Raen Baseras (night shelters) within the Jammu municipal limits, which insufficiently caters to the homeless.
The other one is at the Sports Complex, Kanji House, Upper Gumat Bazar, inaugurated in 2015, which too shows the same scenario with the administration not investing for its upkeep, putting the needy to great hardships in the harsh winter.
A caretaker at Dogra Chowk Raen Basera said he charges Rs 10 per person, most of whom are labourers or hawkers from outside the state or Jammu province, to guard their belongings.
“The living conditions here are worse as there are no beddings, blankets or heating gadgets. The power supply too often remains snapped. Toilets are broken and water tanks are filled with muck,” said Bhola Ram, the caretaker.
Nearly 80-90 people take shelter in the Raen Basera, but many people are still homeless and have to spend brutal wintry nights in the open along the roadside or pavements, etc.
Dhani Lal, a labourer staying in the Raen Basera for the past 15 years said, “It gets more difficult in winter to live in such inhumane conditions. In summer, we manage somehow but during this period of time, many inmates get hospitalised due to various diseases.”
As per the requisite for night shelters, the government provides free warm blankets, room heaters and adequate water supply, kitchen and bathroom to cater to the needs of the homeless. People, however, prepare their food themselves with no government support.
While there is a Supreme Court direction to open more Raen Baseras for the poor and needy spending nights under the open sky, yet no initiative has been taken so far.
In 2017, the then Deputy Chief Minister of the erstwhile J&K state Nirmal Singh had said the government was thinking of constructing more night shelters for the needy and had identified a land near the Tawi. However, just because of the area being inaccessible and the cold environment, the project was shelved.
