Hyderabad: Thousands of homeless people continue to live on pavements, near railway stations, bus stands, and public parks across towns and cities in Telangana, including Hyderabad. Supreme Court directions issued in 2007 mandated shelter homes in every urban centre with over one lakh population, but implementation has remained inconsistent.
States were instructed to set up shelters in proportion to the local homeless population. The Telangana government had previously announced plans to establish 60 shelters in Greater Hyderabad. At present, only 11 are operational.
A few centres exist in old district headquarters and municipalities, but many are poorly maintained or operate in name only. Some shelters are run by NGOs, but they only scratch the surface.
In Greater Hyderabad, over 5,000 people are believed to be living without a roof over their heads—or even basic identity documents. The city operates just 11 shelters in total: 8 for men and 3 for women. Altogether, they provide space for only 380 individuals. The remainder live in open spaces without protection. NGOs estimate that at least 100 shelters are needed within GHMC limits alone.
Elsewhere in the state, 24 shelters are in place, though most are non-functional. Many migrant workers arriving in Hyderabad are forced to stay in informal labour zones, without access to basic facilities. Volunteer groups have called for shelter zones to be set up in such areas to ensure visibility and legal recognition.
Authorities have yet to conduct an official count of the urban homeless. Civil society groups have called for steps including identification of all shelterless persons, issuing ID and Aadhaar cards, providing residential and employment support, or facilitating family reunification where possible.
Existing shelters are required to form Shelter Management Committees with local councillors or corporators, shelter managers, and three representatives from the homeless population. These committees are meant to ensure the provision of food, fans, clean water, toilets, and minimal amenities such as a television.
In addition, an Executive Committee comprising municipal commissioners, local police, traffic officials, and MEPMA representatives is supposed to meet every three months to review shelter conditions. In practice, these rules remain largely unimplemented.
