New Delhi: Delhi Government has ordered an inquiry into the death of six homeless persons who died allegedly due to cold in Nigambodh Ghat area.
Urban Development Minister Manish Sisodia who ordered the inquiry, said, "It is a very unfortunate incident. Despite shelter homes being there in various parts of the city, people are forced to live in the open in this freezing cold."
"It is gross negligence on part of the in-charge of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board of the area where deaths were reported," he said.
Five men and one woman died apparently due to biting cold and rain on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Their bodies were found in the area on Saturday morning.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sindhu Pillai, as many as 11 deaths have been reported in the neighbourhood of Kashmere Gate area in the last two months.
Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has set up several night shelters for homeless people in the area but they are not enough for the large number of people thronging them daily.
"Many of them are filled to double their capacity by 7 PM," said a local.
