Pune's homeless shun shelter

PAVEMENT LIVES | Sleeping on footpath preferred by many despite threats, cold

- Indu Bhagat

In the aftermath of the tragic Wagholi incident on Dec 23, where a truck crushed three people to death and injured six others sleeping on a footpath, questions are being raised about the plight of Pune's homeless. Despite the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) running five shelter homes, many continue to sleep on footpaths, enduring the bitter cold. The city, with a population of over 42 lakh, is served by five PMC-operated shelters-Yerawada, Sena Dutta Police Chowky, Bopodi, Shivaji Nagar, and Pune Station. These shelters, run in collaboration with NGOs, offer a total capacity of 209 beds, falling far short of the Supreme Court's guideline of one shelter per lakh of the population.