Night shelters set up for patients'€™ families; to construct 3k bedded rest house: AIIMS to HC

NEw new new delhi, AIIMS on fri told the Delhi heights margaret court that it has provided land to DUSIB for construction of about 80 night shelters for families of patients sleeping on the streets amid the cold wave, and will also undertake the construction of a 3,000-bedded rest house for them.Underscoring the institute's "patient-centric" and humanitarian approach, the counsel for AIIMS informed that it has adopted several steps to provide immediate respite as it was committed to ensuring that no attendant was left without a dignified shelter in cold weather.A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia was hearing a suo motu petition initiated by the high court after taking cognisance of a news report on "pitiable condition" of patients and their kin staying on the streets while they awaited treatment outside AIIMS.Currently, there are 949 beds for the needy in three shelter centres, and as a long-term measure, a 3,000-bedded Vishram Sadan was proposed to be constructed on a 2 acre land in Ansari Nagar West with the help of an NGO in Ahmedabad, the court was told by advocate Satya Ranjan Swain.The bench called upon the Delhi High Court Bar Association to raise funds for the Vishram Sadan, recalling the donations made by the Bar during the Punjab floods as well."Activate members of the Bar so that some kind of fund is created and donated ," Chief Justice Upadhyaya said.The court asked all the authorities to cooperate with AIIMS in the construction of the rest house, adding that it is expected that the facility would be constructed "within minimum time possible".The facility will go a long way in addressing the problems faced by the attendants of patients at AIIMS, it said.On January 14, the bench had underscored that in a welfare state, it was the bounden duty of the government to provide adequate shelter to those awaiting treatment in hospitals, particularly, AIIMS, RML hospital, Lady Hardinge, Safdarjung Trauma Centre and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, and directed the authorities to provide adequate night shelter to meet the current exigency caused by the ongoing cold wave.On Friday, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma informed that following the court's directives, a meeting of all the stakeholders was held and steps were taken to ensure that "not a single person had cold biting him".Counsel for Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board said 20 new pagodas were set up near AIIMS and Safdarjung and more would be erected by the evening. Twenty tents each were also erected near RML Hospital and Lady Hardinge Hospital, he added.The Delhi Police counsel said nodal officers were appointed for 24X7 monitoring. The NDMC's lawyer said it provided amenities like water and portable toilets.The report submitted by the Principal District Judge, South, informed that blankets were given to the homeless in the night and tents were set up wherever space permitted.Appreciating the steps taken, the court said, "We have a feeling that in the last two days, situation has improved" and "efforts from all concerned are being made in right earnest to address the problem faced by homeless attendants of patients in and around the hospitals".The court said it expected the nodal officers of agencies to be on "constant vigil" to address any deficiencies and ordered another meeting of the stakeholders under the chairmanship of Principal District Judge, South on January 24.The matter will be heard next on January 27.In the last hearing as well, the court had directed a meeting of the high-ranking officials of DUSIB, AIIMS, RML hospital, etc. To chalk out a "short-term" plan to deal with the current weather and implement it on the same day.On January 12, the high court had taken suo motu cognisance of a news report on "pitiable condition" of patients and their kin staying on the streets.A division bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla had said the issue called for "urgent executive and judicial intervention".This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.