The proliferation of Covid-19 infections and the anxiety caused, the public areas where they had been sheltering were forbidden. People encountered numerous challenges since migrants were unable to go back to their houses and were denied access to public areas. The pandemic caused a whirlwind of difficulties which profoundly impacted society. Thus, it is time to reconsider the relationships of space and time and to re-evaluate its unequal distribution in society.
One of the crucial problems with space and the ‘have nots’ are the lack of homelessness. The generally accepted view in recent years is that access to public spaces has been more restricted and that homeless persons are not permitted to utilise those spaces. According to Stuart Halls, cities are quickly transitioning from "planned cities" to "entrepreneurial cities." The 'right to shelter' is one of the fundamental rights of human well-being because shelter is one of humanity's most basic and essential needs. Therefore, to uphold fundamental human rights, governments or states provide adequate housing and shelter for those who are homeless. But the question remains whether the main focus is on solving the homeless crisis or to ‘legitimate’ residents in anti-poor capitalist targets. It is necessary to study the political priorities in West Bengal to determine the hierarchical restrictions over the public space.
This paper endeavours to highlight the ‘spatiotemporal’ dynamics of homelessness and also of shelters home located in West Bengal. Both rural and urban area shares a homeless population but steady growth has been observed in the urban area of the homeless population. The study attempts to probe into the urban shelter’s homes and the rules and regulations that embody their life. The study wants to focus on the various factors that govern the marginalised people and gave birth to shelter homes.
