Out of the 48 BBMP night shelters, only three are meant for women. Even when women are seen begging and sleeping on the streets, these women’s shelters are not fully occupied.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) manages 48 homeless shelters in the city, and three of them are designated for women. Among these, two are situated in the south zone and one in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. Notably, each of these shelters has an occupancy of less than 50. Their living conditions do not meet the required shelter standards.
“These shelters are part of the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM) and can collectively provide accommodation for up to 1,477 people,” Janardhana Achar, BBMP’s community organizer (welfare) said.
A study conducted by the BBMP found that there are around 4,246 homeless people in the city. This survey was part of the National Liveability Campaign and was carried out in coordination with the Impact India Consortium (IIC). The survey covered all eight zones of the city and took place in November 2019. Out of the total homeless population, 3,380 are men, and 857 are women, Edward Thomas, IIC activist said. However, verified information on the number of homeless people is not available.
For Rangamma, a 79-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh, life took a turn for the worse after her two sons abandoned her three years ago. She roams around in neighborhood of Yeshwantpur railway station, but nobody has told her about the night shelters provided by the BBMP. She said, “I cannot walk properly and my eyes are weak, but I have to beg during the day to fill my stomach, and sleep wherever I can find a spot near the market.” Rangamma is not alone; there are many others like her who have been abandoned by their families and must beg and sleep on the streets without knowing about these shelters.
The shelters have a capacity for less than 50 people, which doesn’t align with the government’s guidelines recommending accommodation for 50 to 70 people. In the East zone, one shelter in Kumbaragundi has a capacity of 34 with 29 people staying, while another in Wilson Garden has a capacity of 22 with 14 occupants. The shelter in Yeshwantpur has a capacity for 20 people but is currently hosting 13.
BBMP officials said that the number of destitute women in proximity to bus stops, railway stations, and markets in the city is lower in comparison to men. Nonetheless, a significant number of women can be observed begging and resting on the streets in locations such as KR Market, Yeshwantpur railway station, and Shivajinagar bus stand.
Many homeless women sit on the sidewalks during the day, trying to make a living by selling things like flowers, bananas, or helping vendors in the Gujri areas sell used car parts. Among these homeless women, some are older ladies who have been abandoned by their families or are orphaned. The middle-aged or younger women, on the other hand, are often those who have been abandoned by their husbands and families or come from unstable family situations.
Revati, 30, lives with her elderly mother and younger brother on the sidewalks near the KR market. During the day, she and her brother do whatever work they can find to make some money. At night, they sleep on the sidewalks. “I have lived here for most of my life. There is no one to ask us, nobody bothers. But we make do with what we have,” she said. She added, “We earn about Rs. 200 to 300 daily. Every 15 to 20 days, we use the public toilet to wash our hair and clothes. It costs Rs. 5 for regular use and Rs. 7 if we need to wash our hair.”
According to the guidelines, the shelters should provide personal space, sanitation, medical help, recreation, and residential democracy. None of the shelters in the South zone could accommodate 50 people, and lacked space for individual storage, adequate sanitary facilities and community kitchens.
Ashwini, a 15-year-old girl living with her mother in Akshaya Trust, a BBMP shelter for women near the Town Hall said, “Three months ago, I had my period, and my mom was away at work. I found out about it from the Ajjis here, but they couldn’t give me a sanitary pad because the lady who takes care of us, Asha, wasn’t there that day. I finally got the sanitary pads the next day when I told my mom about it.”
Many residents in these shelters are older women, and only a few of them go to work, doing jobs like working in hotels or daily-wage labor. Kristina, 77, said, “I suffer from severe knee and back pain, and my left hand does not move due to an injury, making it difficult to use a squat toilet.”
Women are reluctant to come to the shelters. Sharad, caretaker of Akshaya Trust said, “It’s challenging to persuade them to join. When we pick up men, we can usually get at least 10 people at once. For women, it’s different; we need to take two residents from the shelter to talk to them and try to convince them. They are often hesitant about coming with us as they feel they might lose the income they are getting from begging.” He added, “Some women choose not to stay in BBMP shelters because they have habits like smoking or using tobacco, and these habits are not allowed in the shelters.”
BBMP officials say that they face various technical challenges. They have limited access to land for constructing new buildings and struggle to locate buildings for rent. Reddy Shankar, the BBMP special commissioner (welfare) said, “Whenever we locate land that is available for shelters, government officials often have their own plans for it. We are now exploring the option of renting private buildings. There are also plans to construct a new shelter for women near the Cantonment Railway station.”
One significant reason for the shortage of shelters for the destitute women is the reluctance of residents to allocate space the homeless. Basavaraj, zonal officer for Yelahanka said, “The BBMP is not providing us with buildings for constructing shelters. We had plans to build two shelters for women, but we had to cancel them due to strong public opposition.”
Brahmananda, the zonal officer for Mahadevpura, said that there are irregularities in meetings with NGOs. “The Public Service Commission (PSC) is planning to approve four more shelters, one of which will be for women. However, the construction costs are high, it takes years to complete. The Managing Director of the DAY-NULM office has not yet approved the funds,” he said.
Experts say that it is imperative to empower women economically and socially to address the problem of homelessness. Dr Debashree Sinha, gender studies professor said, “This is a clear demonstration of the widespread marginalization experienced by women in multiple aspects. To alleviate this deep-seated marginalization, it is a must to adopt a holistic strategy. This should encompass gender-inclusive policy reforms, enhanced outreach for homeless women, improved shelter conditions, and community education to challenge stereotypes and reduce stigma.”
She added, “Efforts should be directed towards creating safe and welcoming environments within these shelters, with adequate hygiene, offering medical assistance, and empowering women with opportunities for self-sufficiency.”
