NEW DELHI: As the cold wave is holding its sway over the parts of North India including the national capital, shelter homes have been opened for homeless people.
The shelter homes, ‘Rain Basera’ have beds, blankets, breakfast, and ample space for the homeless people.
Amjad Khan, Hailing from Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal thanked the government for opening of shelter homes.
“The government has done good management for homeless people here, we used to sleep outside here, but since the administration has made these temporary houses, we are shifted here. Tea and breakfast are available in the morning, blankets are also available here,” he said.
Nihal Hussain, the caretaker of the night shelter, Rain Basera on Lodhi Road, told ANI that we have proper arrangements for bed, breakfast, water and toilet for the needy ones.
“There are a total of eight caretakers, who are deployed in different shifts on a rotation basis,” he said.
Regarding medical assistance, Nihal said, “we have been provided with a First Aid kit and we have been trained for providing First Aid treatment. We have been given the Ambulance’s number if the situation goes out of hand.”
However, there are people having a single-layered blanket and brave extreme cold conditions.
With the steady dip in mercury levels in Delhi, the destitute are left with only one option to huddle around bonfires and shiver.
“We are facing a lot of trouble, there is no place in ‘Rain Basera’, night shelters for homeless people in Delhi, we do not have a single blanket, we are left with no food and drink,” Roshan, a homeless, resorting to the bonfire at Delhi’s Kashmere gate area, said, adding that he is drinking pipe water and sleep in the filth.
To a question why he is not shifting to ‘Rain Basera’, Roshan said, “We tried to go there, but it is full to its capacity. People snake up in a queue outside because the entry starts at 6 pm.”
The national capital’s Safdarjung observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 9 degrees Celcius, which is likely to dip further this forthcoming week, IMD said.
Notably, the homeless people, who were rejected from Rain Basera due to overcrowding, demanded of more night shelters from the government.
“It is cold at night, they shun me when I go to the Rain Basera,” said another homeless person, spurned from Rain Basera due to overcrowding, adding that more night shelters should be made.
As reported earlier, IMD scientists said, that cold wave conditions are likely to re-emerge over North-West India and peak around January 15-16 with minimum temperatures expected to dip after two days from January 12.
Speaking to ANI over the upcoming cold wave conditions in North India, IMD scientist Roy, said, “Currently, we have noticed that temperature have increased. This is on account of western disturbances over the northwestern region now.”
“We are expecting these western disturbances to move eastwards from tomorrow. So, temperatures will start to fall after 48 hours. Correspondingly, there is a chance that cold wave conditions will re-emerge over entire North-West India from January 15 and 16,” the IMD scientist said.
Roy further said, because of the gradual decrease in winter conditions over India, temperatures are not expected to fall very much. “It will fall by three to five degrees. But given the seasonal rise, we expect only isolated cold wave conditions from day 4, that is January 15 and January 16.”
Asked over complete relief from cold wave conditions, Roy said, “Currently, North-West India regions like Punjab, Haryana and North Rajasthan are not having much cold wave conditions but fog and cold wave conditions persist in East Uttar Pradesh.”
“As the western disturbances moves eastwards, we expect that fog and cold wave conditions to re-emerge, which is likely. But, we are also expecting stronger surface winds because of which fog conditions may likely decrease.”
The latest IMD bulletin has forecast dense to very dense fog very likely in some parts of Bihar and a dense fog is expected in isolated pockets over Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Tripura on Wednesday (January 12)
“Cold day to severe cold day conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Bihar and cold day conditions in isolated pockets over East Uttar Pradesh,” the IMD bulletin mentions, pointing “cold wave conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Interior Karnataka.”
The IMD also forecast very likely strong winds (speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 55 kmph) over the north Arabian Sea and has advised fishermen not to venture into this area.
The IMD forecast dense to very dense fog as very likely in some parts of Bihar and dense fog in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Tripura on Thursday (January 13).
It said that cold day conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Bihar on Thursday with cold wave conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Interior Karnataka.
As per IMD, strong winds (speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 55 kmph) are very likely over north Arabian Sea on Thursday.
On January 14, the IMD has forecast dense to very dense fog in some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi; in isolated pockets over Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Dense fog in isolated pockets over Jammu division, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Odisha is also expected with cold day conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Bihar. (ANI)