Nagpur: With temperatures soaring over the last seven days, even touching 44 degrees Celsius, city police activated their safety mechanism to avoid deaths of homeless people on streets and footpaths. Unidentified bodies are piling up at government hospital mortuaries, and though there is no official confirmation on the heatwave toll, top police sources claim at least 20-25 people may have fallen victim, though accidental death cases were registered.
The crisis forced police to re-launch its flagship operation, Mission Mukti-3, on Tuesday to rescue and rehabilitate those living on footpaths and prevent further tragedies. The bodies found on footpaths were moved to government hospitals, where they were declared dead.
Police commissioner Ravinder Singal called an inter-departmental meeting of the Government Medical College and Hospital, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital, Regional Mental Hospital, Women and Child Development, Child Welfare Committee and others for launching the programme. The operation is based on a three-R strategy: rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration. A collaborative effort between police, government departments, and NGOs had earlier proved effective.
In Phases I and II, authorities successfully rescued and shifted 482 at-risk individuals to shelter homes, saving them from sunstroke and heat-related illnesses. Phase III will involve intensified day and night patrolling across high-risk zones, on-spot medical screening by mobile health teams, evacuation to air-conditioned shelters, and meticulous follow-up for long-term care.
Special focus will be given to medical evaluations, mental health assessments and support, family reunification, and provision of institutional rehabilitation for those requiring sustained assistance.
"In extreme temperatures, our priority is to ensure no vulnerable citizen suffers on the footpaths," said Singal. Nagpur Police urged citizens to actively support Mission Mukti by promptly sharing information on vulnerable persons spotted on streets and avoiding giving alms, which inadvertently perpetuates begging.
