An indication of the neglect of the homeless in our cities is that the government has not even bothered to collect reliable data about them. As the destitute do not have an address and can only be counted on pavements, open spaces and night shelters, many of them are missed by the census staff. Therefore, one has to turn to data collected by voluntary organisations. In the year 2000, Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan, an organisation working for the homeless, made an effort to count the number of people sleeping out in the open in Delhi. They counted about 53,000 people. The actual number of homeless is likely to be a little over 1,00,000 in Delhi.

The survey shattered some myths about homeless people. Based on interviews with 700 of them, the survey revealed that about 70 per cent of them were denied the legal minimum wage, yet 59 per cent of them saved money to send to their villages. This shows the tremendous effort most homeless people make in difficult conditions to contribute not only to the city's economy but also support thousands of extremely poor families in distant villages.

It is important to consider the different factors - economic trends and changes in urban planning policies - that are contributing to a significant increase in homelessness in our cities. For example, a widely quoted review (by Paul Koegel and his colleagues) that explores the causes of increasing homelessness in the US states: "The rise in homelessness during the last 15 years has accompanied two broad trends, each of which has exacerbated the impact of the other. First, there has been steady erosion of the supply of rental housing affordable to those falling at or below the poverty level. Second, the pool of poor people competing for these increasingly scarce units has swelled at precisely the same time".

In Delhi, shifting or closure of industries, relocation of slum-dwellers far away from their place of employment, sealing operations to curb commercial activities in residential areas have all contributed to a livelihood crisis, fuelling the problem of homelessness. Most homeless people face severe problems in getting access to the most basic amenities such as water and sanitation. Often, the poor cannot afford to pay for using public toilets and baths.

As the overwhelming majority of homeless people do not have access to public shelters, they are exposed to weather extremes particularly during the monsoon and winter seasons.

During the winter of 2002-03 over 1,000 cold wave deaths were reported from north India, particularly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Even mild rain for a short time makes it difficult to sleep on the wet footpaths at night.

I met some homeless people in Delhi recently. Ram Gopal Sharma had a flourishing business as a motor-mechanic. Jagdish held a lucrative job in selling radios and transistors. Both of them suffered such dramatic reversals in recent times that they are now homeless.

Krishna Kumar was in a similar plight till a month back, but then a friend guided him to a shelter in Jhandewalan. Now sleeping in a tent on a bed with two blankets to cover him, Krishna is visibly relaxed. "This is a big relief from the bitingly cold winter nights on the footpath", he says. There is tremendous need for providing relief to the homeless at a relatively small cost by providing tents and blankets if a well-organised effort is made.

When asked about their problems, most homeless people list abuse by the police - beatings, extortions and evictions - as their biggest problem. Within the vulnerable group of homeless people, women, children and the disabled are doubly cursed. Women and girl children often face sexual abuse. Children are also at the risk of substance abuse and are exploited by those engaged in trafficking them for begging, child labour and
organ trade.

There should be an effort to provide more funds for shelters in particular and homeless people in general. The tenth plan (2002-2007) allocation of Rs 30 crore for shelters was highly inadequate. This ought to be rectified.

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