SC seeks details on shelter facilities for homeless as mercury drops
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought details from the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) on the facilities available for housing homeless persons in the national capital in view of the impending chilly winters.
"We are concerned. We are on the eve of what is going to be a very chilly winter," a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan observed.
The apex court asked the DUSIB to give details about the number of persons who could be accommodated in shelter homes and an estimate of those requiring such facilities.
The bench said if there was any deficit in the facilities available, the DUSIB would also apprise how it proposes to deal with such a situation.
The top court was hearing a matter concerning the right to shelter of homeless persons in the urban areas.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for one of the petitioners, said the apex court had passed several orders in the matter, terming it an important issue.
He said the total capacity of shelter homes in Delhi was only around 17,000 persons and the DUSIB had demolished nine such shelter homes.
Bhushan said these demolished shelter homes had around 450 people living there, though the capacity was only 286.
"What is the total capacity of shelter homes in Delhi?" the bench asked the DUSIB counsel.
The lawyer responded it was around 17,000 and the application filed before the court concerned only six temporary shelters.
The DUSIB counsel said there were six temporary shelter homes that were destroyed due to floods in the River Yamuna in 2023 and since June 2023, nobody lived there.
He said the applicant should not have any objection if homeless people around that area were being shifted to a permanent shelter home at Geeta colony.
The lawyer said not even a single death was reported owing to cold conditions in Delhi during last winter.
The bench asked the DUSIB to file an affidavit pointing out details, including the facilities available with the board for accommodating the homeless.
The bench posted the matter on December 17.
During the hearing, Bhushan claimed there was allegation of bribery against one of the senior officers of DUSIB and an FIR was also registered in the matter.
"This amounts to character assassination," the bench observed, noting the officer was not even made an accused in the case.
"Making such wild allegations that he is involved in corruption, he is made an accused," the bench said, "where do you find it? This seriously affects somebody's reputation".
The bench told the DUSIB's counsel to give details about the facilities available for the homeless and whether they were sufficient to meet the requirements, suggesting it to take the average of the last five-six years authentic data available.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
