Nowhere to go! Plight of homeless increases under intense cold wave conditions in Odisha

For the past some days, the entire Odisha has been reeling under the bone-chilling cold conditions. Have you ever thought about how the people who don’t have roofs over their heads and spend nights under the sky are facing wintry nights?

To know the plights of these homeless people, OTV visited several parts of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Balasore cities to get first-hand information.

While moving around, we found a person sleeping on a trolley with no warm clothes. During the discussion, we came to know that he is Kalia. He said he had left home and with no option, he was sleeping on his trolley braving the shivering cold wave. 

“I had gone to the night shelter home but had to return after seeing the mismanagement there,” said Kalia.  

We met another person under Rajmahal overbridge. We had a friendly conversation with him. He said he is from Palaspalli area but never goes to his home and sleeps at any place. 

We went around the city and encountered the same pictures which would bring a lump to anyone’s throat. 

Then we moved to Cuttack where we came across many such people who were sleeping on footpaths, shop verandahs, and under trees, as if leaving everything to their fate. The situation is the worst in SCB Medical College and Hospital. 

“I have brought a delivery patient. With not finding any place to spend the night, we are spending the night under a tree. Besides the biting cold wave, swarms of mosquitoes are leaving us nowhere. A shed will be enough for us,” said Ramakanta Jena, a relative of a patient. 

When asked, CMC Mayor Subash Singh said there are four night shelters in the city. 

“For the homeless people and visitors, we have been running four night shelters in the city for the last five years,” said Singh. 

About the plight of the shelter-less people in Balasore city, the least said the better.