The cold wave sweeping north India has reportedly claimed close to 70 lives in Uttar Pradesh this winter. On 3 January, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath paid a visit to the government-run shelters in Lucknow. Reports claimed the shelters were well-equipped and packed with those seeking shelter from the bitter cold. However, a spot check by The Quint’s Vikrant Dubey revealed that the shelter authorities had rounded up people to be admitted at the shelter ahead of Adityanath’s visit.
“Around 40 people were brought here but they ran away,” said Baburam, a pavement-dweller. “They’re afraid they may be forced to do unpaid labour. They’re afraid they’ll be held captive if they use these shelters,” said another pavement-dweller.
According to the caretaker of the Jiamau night shelter, people were brought to the shelter in corporation vans and some of them ran away, leaving their belongings behind.
A few pavement-dwellers The Quint spoke to said that they do not want to use the night shelters because they were poorly maintained.
Similar conditions were found at the night shelter near Charbagh railway station. The shelter, said to be the oldest in Lucknow, has a 150-bed capacity but only 30 beds are filled. The shelter officials claim the facilities will be improved soon. “Things will be better here in a day or two, a caretaker told us.
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