Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): District administration has changed the school timing considering cold wave in the city but Bhopal Municipal Corporation has not provided wooden logs for bonfire so far. BMC has taken plea of National Green Tribunal directive imposing a ban on bonfires to check air pollution in the city.
Now, protection from freezing winter has become a major challenge for homeless families spending nights under the sky in Bhopal. Many homeless people either take shelter on footpath, roadside, bus terminals, market corridors to keep them safe from the biting cold and bonfires are the best way for these families to battle the extreme cold conditions.
Earlier, to provide relief from biting cold, the civic body would light bonfires at public places like bus stands, railway stations, hospitals, temples, Ren Basera and other such places. But this winter, no such initiative has been taken and the homeless people are left battling the winter chill.
According to BMC, it has installed electric heaters at Ren-Basera. The objective behind prohibiting any kind of bonfire is to check poor air quality. The municipal body has arranged electric heaters at Ren Basera community shelters located at ISBT Bus Stand, Hamidia Hospital, Yadgar-e-Shahjahani Park, Railway Station Platform No. 06, Nehru Nagar and Halalpur Bus Stand.
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Additional municipal commissioner Harshit Tiwari said, "BMC will not provide wooden logs at public places like bus stand, railway station, hospitals for bonfire in Bhopal for relief from biting cold as it increases air pollution. National Green Tribunal has banned burning of wooden logs in open as it causes air pollution. We have sufficient room heater at Ren-Basera (night shelter)."
