To ease overcrowding at Rohini’s Asha Kiran shelter home for the intellectually challenged, the Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD) will refurbish the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) unused nursing college and Primary Health Centre (PHC) complex in Narela under a ₹2.5 crore project.
The Asha Kiran facility came under scrutiny in August last year following the deaths of 14 residents. The Delhi High Court subsequently directed urgent measures to decongest the overcrowded home, which houses 928 residents—far above its sanctioned capacity of 570.
A PWD official said the high court had ordered MCD to hand over the Narela complex to the Delhi government to establish a second shelter. “The building requires significant refurbishment, including structural expansion, plumbing, creation of new cabins, and security enhancements to make it suitable as a shelter,” the official said.
The upgrade is expected to be completed in four months after the contractor is finalised. The Narela facility will accommodate around 200 inmates from Asha Kiran.
Developed in April 2014 by the erstwhile North MCD at a cost of ₹9.10 crore, the nursing school complex has remained unused for over a decade. The PWD said the site is in poor condition and will undergo extensive modifications before it can be repurposed. “We will add more rooms, upgrade the entrance gates, build boundary walls, develop parking and access pathways, and carry out other essential work,” the official said.
In its August order, the Delhi high court noted the urgent need to decongest Asha Kiran and expressed concern that waiting for full MCD House and standing committee approvals would cause unacceptable delays. The court directed the MCD commissioner to immediately transfer the nursing college and hostel complex to facilitate the relocation of inmates.
Established in 1989, Asha Kiran provides care to intellectually challenged individuals, many of whom are abandoned and brought in by authorities. Last month, on March 13, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the Rohini shelter and assured residents that the government would act as their guardian and address their needs.
An MCD spokesperson confirmed that the building complex has been handed over to the Delhi government following the court’s directive. “The transfer from our end is complete, and PWD must now be proceeding with the refurbishment,” the official said.
The Narela facility has a troubled history. Despite the ₹9.10 crore investment, the nursing college was never operational. An audit report previously cited the project as “wasteful expenditure,” highlighting that the building had not been used even five years after its construction. The report warned of deterioration and theft of materials, and criticised the project’s lack of planning: “The proposal for constructing the school of nursing was not initiated with proper planning.”
With the upcoming refurbishment, officials hope to finally put the long-vacant Narela facility to use and relieve pressure on Asha Kiran, which remains the city’s largest government-run home for intellectually challenged residents.
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