No public bonfire to beat winter chill
BHOPAL : One would think twice before stepping out of home in the freezing night, but scores of people are still braving the biting cold spending their nights under the open sky on roads, outside railway station and bus stands. Renbaseras, the night shelter in the city are running full occupancy unable to cater to the increasing number of homeless. The BMC have also failed these destitute by not arranging public bonfires, forcing these hapless people to face tough winter nights.
Dozens of people could be seen sleeping on roadsides near Bhopal railway station. These homeless said that they prefer sleeping on pavements as night shelters were quite far and are mostly full. Besides going there just for sleep is also not feasible, they added. A woman sleeping near railway platform said that she feels safe at crowded place and would not go to renbaseras to spend a night there. She, however said that if the authorities would have lit bonfires at public places it would have been easier for people like her to bear the winter chill.
The scene at Hamadia hospital is no different as a number of people, mostrly the relatives of patients can be seen sleeping on the floors and in open. When asked, most of them showed ignorance about the renbaseras.
Complaining that civic authority has failed to ensure public bonfires, an auto driver, Zuber, said that he and other drivers pooled in money to bring combustible material for lighting bonfire.
BMC deputy commissioner Harish Gupta when contacted said that the corporation has arranged bonfires at designated spots. It is not possible to lit bonfires at every public place, he said adding that the civic body would arrange for bonfires if they find that there is an urgent requirement of it at any place.
