Ghaziabad DM does a reality check of night shelters
LUCKNOW: In winters, it’s common for bureaucrats to inspect raen baseras (night shelter homes) that the government sets up for the poor.
But Ghaziabad district magistrate, Ajay Shankar Pandey, set an example before others by spending a night in one of these raen baseras for a reality check of these temporary night stay facilities, taking many, including the poor, by surprise.
“Many of the poor were surprised to see a DM spending the night with them. One Madan Lal Yadav was so surprised when Pandey ji not only gifted him a jacket, but also sat next to him completing office work,” said an onlooker.
Pandey said he decided to have a “real check” after a social worker drew his attention towards the condition of these night shelters in Ghaziabad.
“Despite my reminders that I would check the status of these homes, he kept on repeating that they were in such a mess. That’s how I decided to do a real check,” said Pandey.
Subsequently, the DM decided to inspect the night shelters, one after another. He started with the one at Arthala, where he checked the hygiene and condition of blankets etc. A
fter speaking to the poor who had taken shelter inside, he left for a nigh shelter home at Rajnagar managed by the district urban development agency (DUDA).
“It was around 12.30pm when the DM reached there with his staff and stayed there. He asked us to dial the social worker and inform him that he was visiting a shelter home and would like him to come there for a reality check. After several attempts, the social
HE DECIDED TO CHECK AFTER A SOCIAL WORKER DREW HIS ATTENTION TOWARDS CONDITION OF THESE NIGHT SHELTERS
worker finally took the call but didn’t turn up at the shelter home despite promising to come there in 15 minutes,” a DM’s aide said. After that, Pandey decided to dispose of pending office work from the shelter home. “When the manager of the shelter home got to know that the DM was there, he arrived with a set of new blankets. But the DM returned them saying he would do with what was provided,” the DM’s aide said.
“He remained there well past midnight, used the blankets that were kept there and actually did a thorough check. The social worker who had raised the problem of poor management and condition of night shelters was nowhere to be seen,” added the DM’s aide. Pandey has now ordered a daily check of these shelter homes.