New Delhi: The Supreme Court has castigated the state governments for their apathy and insensitivity towards the plight of homeless people in the country and appealed to them to show "sympathy and compassion" by constructing shelter homes for them. 

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta pointed out the utter insensitivity of state governments for neglecting the plight of urban homeless people. 

It said that benefits under Centre's ambitious project National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) were not reaching to the homeless and even suggested the Centre to scrap the scheme as the welfare funds were being siphoned off by state governments.

Holding that NULM mission to provide shelter remains a dream, the bench even suggested the Centre to scrap the scheme as the welfare funds were being siphoned off by state governments.

A Supreme Court appointed panel headed by a former Delhi High Judge has also projected a very grim picture for urban homeless people saying that more than 90 percent of them have no roof over their heads as "state governments have pathetically failed in setting up shelter homes."

Expressing its concern over governments not using the funds for welfare of the homeless, the bench told the Centre, "All money granted by Centre is going in drain. Why don't you scrap the scheme? You would save thousands of crores which could be used for other purposes. It is a waste of tax-payers money".

The apex court has been monitoring the construction of night shelters for homeless since 2013. It has now decided to examine the issue state wise and asked the state governments in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to file affidavit on steps taken by them to provide shelter to the homeless.

The state governments, however, found that the affidavit filed by three states were inadequate as they had not given details on the construction of home shelters.

Although the court granted two weeks time to UP and West Bengal government to file fresh affidavit, it summoned Haryana Chief Secretary to personally appear before it to give explanation for not building shelter homes.