Chennai: Even as the Greater Chennai corporation is making efforts to improve the condition of the homeless in the city, a survey conducted by the Information and Resource Center for Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) has highlighted the lag in the process, leaving thousands of homeless children devoid of basic facilities.
The survey conducted in eight different zones - Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Ambattur, Teynampet, Kodambakkam, Alandur and Adyar - examined several parameters including access to Angawadis, nutritional levels and immunisation. The aim of the study was to shed light on the need to address the lack of education, nutrition and healthcare for homeless children.
Through the survey, the IRCDUC submitted some key recommendations to the corporation, including conducting sessions by the authorities sensitising the homeless on services offered by Anganwadis apart from education, such as mid-day meals and vaccination. Of the 206 homeless children surveyed, only 54 per cent of them said they had access to Anganwadis. The study had highlighted Parry’s, Broadway and Mannadi as locations most in need of new Anganwadi centres.
Another common problem was the fear of children being kidnapped. The study highlighted a few incidents where it had happened in the past. In one such incident, the daughter of a gypsy couple was kidnapped while she was sleeping from the city's suburbs early last month. She still hasn't been found, the report said.
Open defecation and unsanitary facilities were other issues expressed. Conducting regular health checks-ups was also recommended, along with a request for adequate budgetary allocations for the urban homeless in all central and state schemes.
Agreeing with the study, child rights activists in the city say such demands have to be addressed as soon as possible. “Although the corporation says work is being done, there are still a lot of children on the streets. Something has to be done to keep them in school and better their facilities. It is not just about providing shelter,” says an official working with the Unicef in the city.
