The bitter winter spell has further led to escalation of the problem of drug addiction and alcoholism among the homeless in the national capital as they are using it as a 'coping up' mechanism to fight the cold.

"Homeless kids in Delhi widely sniff whitener, mainly in winter to remain high. A child sniffs anywhere between three to five bottles a day on very cold days. It numbs their body and they do not feel cold," says Sanjay Gupta, Director CHETNA, a city-based NGO working with homeless children.

Alcohol, ganja, opium, whitener and even cough syrups are widely used by the homeless to face the cold.

Presently there are 64 permanent night shelters in the city which can not house more than 9100 homeless. The roughly estimated figure of homeless is around one lakh in the city.

Subrata De, working with Delhi-chapter of the NGO Action Aid says such people need some care as they resort to drugs due to natural and man-made factors.

"Such dependence by homeless on drugs and alcohol is because they use it as a coping up material against cold. They need help in form of de-addiction centres and counselling," says De.

Many homeless, because of their addiction do not find a place in night shelters as the residents refuse to stay with them.

The arrangement of night shelters by government is seen as a short-term solution by Paramjit Kaur from Ashrya Adhikar Abhiyan, an NGO working for the homeless.

She agrees that the addiction increases in winter but questions the easy availability of cheap drugs that these people consume.

"Is the police not aware of it," she asks.

There are some homeless who are also addicts of prescription drugs like cough syrup.

"Even though such drugs require a physicians prescription, they are readily available over the counter in chemists shops across the capital. Roughly 20 per cent of patients who come to me are addicted to prescription drugs," says Dr Gaurav Gupta, a psychiatrist who runs a de-addiction centre in the capital.

Gupta says the issue of homeless is not of a seasonal nature and its a complex one and efforts should be made to find long term solutions that can keep away the fear of everyday survival from the minds of the homeless.

"There needs to be holistic approach for such drug addicts. There is no de-addiction programme for them by the government. Even if some of them want to quit, they have no choice," says Kaur