Appearing before a bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, NGO's counsel Jayant Bhushan said the authorities have failed to provide even basic amenities for the poor and the places are not fit for living in.
The NGO, Shahri Adhikar Manch Begharon Ke Liye, also alleged even the toilets of these night shelters are not working and they are "stinking".
The NGO's counsel also told the court that night shelters should not be far away from the homeless people.
"If shelters are 20 km away from where they (homeless people) work, you cannot expect them to go there for night and come back in the morning," the senior advocate said.
"We are now in December, the temperature is dipping day by day, many people die every day due to cold," said Bhushan adding "at least for the time being some temporary shelters should be provided to these people or unused building can be used for that purpose."
Appearing for the Delhi government, Standing Counsel Najmi Waziri said as per the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021, 150 night shelters were required and the government has made only 64 permanent shelters and the rest are temporary.
He also argued that despite the facilities, some shelters were not occupied properly.
The counsel would continue his argument tomorrow.
The court earlier had in December 2010 taken suo motu cognisance of a media report about demolition of a night shelter set up by NGOs and civic bodies doing nothing to protect the homeless from the biting cold.
