Disabled, homeless activist demands his rights and entitlement

The Hindu: New Delhi: Sunday, 12 July 2015.

Nand Lal has clearly made the phrase “don’t under estimate the power of the common man” his life’s mantra.

Homeless, disabled and uneducated, Mr. Lal, who calls his cramped tri-cycle his home, hasn’t let anything stand in the way of filing three Right to Information [RTI] applications seeking information on rights and entitlements for the homeless and the disabled in the city.

“My RTIs are about the Delhi government’s welfare schemes for the disabled and homeless, its plans to provide permanent houses and information about employment schemes,” said Mr. Lal.

“I have also asked the State government about settlement of the homeless under implementation of the UN Habitat Agenda since 1996, and the list of documents related to Habitat-III, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, which will take place in Quito, Ecuador, from October 17-20, 2016, from the Central government,” he said.

Polio-afflicted, Mr. Lal first came to the Capital in 1992 looking for employment. However, he was forced to live on the streets and beg.

“I tried to get a disability certificate from my tehsil, but was asked to pay a bribe. I refused,” he said.

He shifted to Delhi and has been living near India Gate since 1998. He has shunned living in homeless shelters, which, he says, aren’t disabled-friendly.

Now undergoing training for advocacy for the homeless, Mr. Lal says he had written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2014, demanding that shelters for the homeless be made disabled-friendly.

“I got a job with ActionAid’s programme on the homeless as caretaker of a shelter during 2003-04 and also worked for the homeless during 2009-10.”

“Today, he is the most admired and vocal advocate for the disabled homeless in the city,” said Sunil Kumar Aledia of Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan, a NGO.