TANGDHAR: She stands outside her new home — a polythene sheet held up with bamboo poles — in the sprawling courtyard that once housed her two-storied mud home, struggling to convince her five-year-old son that they will soon receive food.

Thirty-five-year-old Ruqeena Begum is among the many survivors in Tangdhar who are yet to be reached by the Government or by a non-governmental organisation.

She has not even been lucky enough to get a tent. "My husband made frantic efforts to get a tent but failed. He's gone to try again today [Monday] and I am still waiting," she told The Hindu . She looks at her house and breaks down. "We never thought we would be reduced to such a pitiable condition," said Ruqeena, whose husband is a labourer. "We lost everything."

Rebuilding their homes will remain a distant dream for many like her. Only those who received the first instalment of Rs. 40,000 from the Government may be able to rebuild their houses. But in Ruqeena's case, it may take months to get relief because the Government has decided to first give cash assistance to those whose houses were destroyed. "See, my house has no walls but the structure exists and so the sarkari log [Government officials] say it will be considered later on. It is not worth living in and will crumble anytime," she said.

Notwithstanding the hundreds of truckloads of relief arriving here, many affected families in Tangdhar town and adjoining villages have been neglected. "They go to Teetwal and other areas as they see no damage outside," said Shabir Ahmed Najar, showing his cracked house in Chan Mohalla.

Nobody has visited us so far, said Nissar Ahmed of Tangdhar Naar, a hillock that developed a huge crack.

"Influential people have devoured most of the relief and those living in inaccessible areas are still suffering," he said.

On Sunday, a team from Rotary International visited the area and gave away around 50 tents. "This is a fact — there are many villages like Sulaiman where no tents are available," said a functionary.

Novel move

COVA, an NGO from Hyderabad, has also started a novel move — it has provided spades, shovels and other material along with technical assistance from engineering students to the affected families to encourage reconstruction.

But they face a problem. "The locals do not allow us to touch their material saying that then the Government will not give them relief," said a COVA functionary.

On Sunday, the Srinagar-based S.S.M. Engineering College donated tonnes of tin sheets to the villagers of Batla to help them construct sheds because tents may not withstand the strong winds and rain.

The reconstruction process, the locals believe, may take more time. In places such as Gundi Syedan, Gundi Gujran, Semari and Kadhama, the people are yet to receive the first instalment of relief.

Farooq Ahmed from Kandi said a transparent mechanism, in coordination with the Army, should be followed to help the affected families.

"But it is getting late and if the Government does not act, the winter will complete the cycle of damage," he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail