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`Flood-hit people still living on sand dunes'

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan unit of Jamat-e-Islami Hind on Thursday accused the State Government of having failed to provide adequate relief to the flood-affected people in Barmer and Jaisalmer districts where, it said, the situation was still serious even after one month since heavy rains inundated the region.

A delegation of Jamat-e-Islami visited a large number of villages in three tehsils of Barmer district recently and found lack of relief to those rendered homeless and near total absence of medical services, despite the outbreak of malaria. The affected people complained to the delegation about extensive irregularities. Jamat-e-Islami State president Mohammed Salim, talking to media persons here, claimed that the floods in the two districts had claimed over 1,000 lives against the official figure of 109 victims. People were still living in makeshift tents erected on sand dunes and a large number of them were suffering from diseases.

Mr. Salim said the Government agencies had concentrated only on two villages -- Malwa and Kavas -- as they had been submerged and were the focus of media attention. "No relief worth the name has reached the majority of the 1,150 villages and hamlets where huts and houses were swept away and people were killed,'' he said.

Even as the State Government has selected 1,700 families for payment of grant for construction of new houses, the local people told the Jamat delegation that nearly 20,000 houses, including mud structures, had been destroyed in the heavy rains. No survey of damaged houses has been conducted in a large number of villages.

The Jamat-e-Islami delegation, led by State secretary Nazimuddin, found discrimination against Dalits and Muslims both in the distribution of relief material and the survey of damaged houses.

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