Government pulled up for poor facilities at deportation camp

New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday pulled up the city government's social welfare department for failing to provide basic facilities in the foreign nationals' deportation camp here.

A division bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar directed a senior bureaucrat, who was ordered to appear before the court, to appoint a superintendent for the camp within a week and ensure supply of drinking water, medicines and telephone facilities to the inmates of the camp in R.K. Puram in south Delhi.

The court came down heavily on the government after the officer submitted that the department was not authorised to provide mineral or Reverse Osmosis (RO) water as demanded by the foreign nationals.

The bench said: 'Supply of RO water should be the minimum standard of basic facilities. This is remarkable. The only explanation you have is that other homes (indicating beggars' homes) do not provide RO water to inmates, so you too will not provide it. Supply of RO water to the inmates of all homes, including this camp, should be the minimum basic standard.'

Eleven foreign nationals approached the court July 9 through a letter alleging lack of facilities in the deportation camp.

The court converted the letter into a public interest petition.

Arvind Nigam, the lawyer appointed by the court to look into the matter, submitted in his report that the camp lacked basic facilities like water supply and electricity despite the court's earlier directions.

'The food served in the camp ... is of worst quality. There is no soap for washing hands and there is no cleanliness in the camp too,' Nigam submitted in his affidavit before the court.

The camp is maintained by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office of the government of India.