Right to
Food Campaign, Odisha
Plot No-
393/2035, 2nd Floor, Padmavati Vihar, Post- Sailashree Vihar,
Bhubaneswar, Odisha
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ref. No- RTF/ 70/15 Date
10.10.15
To
The Chairman
National Human Rights Commission
Manav Adhikar Bhawan
Block- “C”
GPO Complex, INA, New Delhi-110023
Sub-
Complaint on “Starvation death of an old
man in Bhubaneswar under Bhubaneswar
Municipal Corporation, capital of
Odisha due to negligence of State Administration.
Sir
I
Sri Pradip Pradhan, State Convener,
Right to Food Campaign, Odisha bring to the kind notice of the commission
the following matter seeking for immediate intervention and necessary
action.
That
on 9.10.15, news under caption “Starvation Death of an Old Man in
Bhubaneswar has been
published in the Sambad, daily
newspaper. An old man was found died under a tree on roadside connecting from Vanivihar
to Master Canteen of Bhubaneswar. The petitioner had visited the spot and
enquired about it.
Fact
On 8th October, 2015, the pedestrians
came across an old man lying along the roadside of Bhubaneswar town. After an enquiry, it was found the old man
dead. The old man was begging in the street to feed his hungry belly. Few days
back, he suffered from disease and could not move and fell under a tree. Finding
no food, he died of hunger. The police took up the dead body and sent for
post-mortem.
Violation
Right
to life is the fundamental right of the citizen under Indian constitution. The State Govt. is duty-bound to
protect their life. Keeping it in view,
the Central Govt. and State Govt. have undertaken numerous food security programme
to ensure food security of the poor, destitute and vulnerable families. The
starvation death of an old man is due to callous and indifferent attitude of
the state Govt. In 2010, hearing Writ Petition Case No. 196/2001, the Supreme Court have expressed grave
concern at the plight of urban destitute and given direction to all State Govt. to provide night shelter to the
homeless, destitute people of urban areas and to
take steps for their rehabilitation. Though five years passed, the state
has been able to open only two night shelter in Bhubaneswar. These two night shelters are inaccessable and
badly managed for which the homeless
people are see not going to stay there.
Night shelters are yet to be constructed in other urban areas like
Cuttak, Puri and Rourkela which has been exposed through RTI. Secondly, the State Govt. has not undertaken
any survey to identify the beggar, homeless, nomads and destitute in urban
areas. The Government does not have statistics about total number of Homeless
and destitute persons in different urban areas. Thirdly, since last one year, the State Government has been undertaking
survey to identify the eligible household in order to provide foodgrains under
National Food Security Act, 2013. But it was found through our survey that the
destitute, homeless and nomads have not been covered under the survey made
under the said Act. So, in spite of
multiple programme being implemented to ensure food security of the poor in
Odisha, it has not reached to the
destitute and homeless who are
found more vulnerable and succumbed
to hunger and malnutrition
leading to suffering from disease and
death. There is also no mechanism of the State Govt. to
monitor the situation of the homeless and destitute in urban areas.
In the absence of institutional mechanism for their protection, they
continue to suffer and survive at the mercy of god.
Prayer
In this Context, I request the Commission to
make an inquiry into the matter and issue the following direction to the State
Govt. in order to ensure food security and effective rehabilitation of these
extreme vulnerable people of urban areas in Odisha.
A.
Issue direction to State Government to make an enquiry into details of
causes leading to suffering and death of an old man in Bhubaneswar.
B.
Issue direction to the State Govt. to undertake survey to identify the
homeless, beggar, and destitute and prepare their list and include them as eligible household under National Food
Security Act.
C.
Issue direction to the State Govt.
put in place the robust institutional
mechanism to monitor the condition of Homeless, destitute, mobile health team
to provide treatment to them and
a Telephone Number for
information to be made by public about the
plight of the destitute.
D.
Issue direction, as the commission deems fit to ensure complete food
security to all the vulnerable families in urban areas..
Thanking you
Yours sincerely
Pradip Pradhan
M-99378-43482
(Original post to NHRC contains news clippings)
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