‘Move the homeless to night shelters’, says GVMC Commissioner CM Saikanth Verma

Action is being taken to move the homeless people sleeping on roads, footpaths, and flyovers to night shelters run by Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) in Visakhapatnam. GVMC Commissioner, CM Saikanth Verma, directed the Project Director (UCD), KV Papunaidu, to undertake this project. On Friday, he held a review meeting with the managers of the night shelters along with GVMC Additional Commissioner, KS Viswanathan, in the conference hall of the GVMC headquarters.

On this occasion, the Commissioner said that steps should be taken to move homeless people to night shelters instead of sleeping on the roads and public places at night in Visakhapatnam. He gave orders to form three teams specially for this purpose. The Commissioner also emphasized that sleeping on the roads at night results in a high possibility of accidents. Night shelter managers were also told to take steps to direct the homeless people, who staying overnight, to their respective areas the next day. Homeless women, however, should not be taken to night shelters but moved to the women’s accommodation centres run by ICDCS.

The Commissioner advised the Additional Commissioner and the Project Director to identify the elderly, orphans, and mentally ill people roaming the streets. Arrangements must be made for them to be moved to homeless centres. He also ordered that meetings be arranged with the night shelter managers every month, which must be attended by everyone.

Several managers requested the establishment of more night shelters in Visakhapatnam to accommodate the increasing number of homeless people. In response to this, the Commissioner directed the Additional Commissioner to coordinate with the GVMC Revenue Department and identify centres for setting up night shelters in Gajuwaka and Anakapalli. Also, the Commissioner assured the administrators that their honorarium will be increased.

An inquiry was made by the GVMC Additional Commissioner on the number of night shelters in Visakhapatnam and their infrastructure, as well as the number of homeless people in the city.

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