AIIMS conveyed to the Delhi High Court on Friday 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.
Delhi HC had asked Centre that it must provide adequate night shelters to people around AIIMS in view of cold wave conditions.
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 (to AIIMS)," 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 (DUSIB) 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.
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