The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and Manab Sewa Aashram, a shelter organisation, have agreed to work together to offer shelter for homeless persons living on the streets.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and Manab Sewa Aashram, a shelter organisation, have agreed to work together to offer shelter for homeless persons living on the streets.
Dhaniram Sharma, executive officer of the KMC, and Govinda Tandon, chief warden of the aashram, signed an agreement to this end on Friday.
According to the agreement, the KMC will pay a monthly house rent of Rs 167,000 for two years to shelter homeless persons.
The aashram, in turn, will look after the needs of the shelter occupants.
The aashram has already rented two homes in Samakhusi and Budhanilkantha to run such shelters.
The KMC plans to mobilise its city police and volunteers on the streets of Kathmandu, between 9 and 10 at night twice every week, to see if there are any homeless individuals in need of shelter.
“The plan is to pick up such individuals and put them up in shelter homes. In case of street children, the metropolis will offer free education as well,” said Sharma.
The Central Child Welfare Board (CCWB) has welcomed this initiative.
“It is a praiseworthy action. But it is crucial to ensure that persons living in shelter homes get proper care,” said Tarak Dhital, executive director of the CCWB.
KMC officials said the task of monitoring the shelter homes would be handed over to the respective chairpersons of the local elected bodies.
There are an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 street children and around 300 homeless persons in Kathmandu Valley.
Anup Ojha was a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues, crime, and human interest stories since 2011. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.
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