The Laban circle of the Khasi Students Union (KSU) has raised further concerns regarding the shelter home in the city that was revealed to be a drug den, claiming that it is a haven of prostitution and other crimes.
The KSU also said that some residents, instead of being homeless and poor, have stable jobs and own cars.
On December 28, the KSU and police raided the shelter home, which is under the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB), after a viral video emerged of people consuming illegal drugs there. Though the building was empty of people when the raid took place, plenty of drug paraphernalia was found at the scene.
Today, in a letter to the CEO of the SMB, the KSU said that the shelter home “has become a booming site for prostitution”.
Drug and alcohol consumption as well as prostitution could take place there because the SMB did not have “guidelines, inspections or a caretaker” to keep check on those inside the facility.
The pressure group also claimed to have found that some residents are taking advantage of the free accommodation despite having jobs and owning vehicles, thereby depriving people genuinely in need of shelter of a place to stay.
The KSU also said that the dorbar shnong of Kenches Trace, Oxford Hill and Rilbong (KOR) had never given permission to the SMB to run the place as a shelter home. The union said that it will support whatever decision the dorbar shnong takes whether to allow it to continue to operate or not as it has discredited the name of the neighbourhood and has been troublesome to residents of the locality.
