Floods destroy 70 houses in this Pampore village ‘Only God - TopicsExpress



          

Floods destroy 70 houses in this Pampore village ‘Only God knows we live here; No Govt or public relief reached us’ Befuna (Pampore): Smoke coming out of a hubble-bubble fills the air at the small shop of Abdur Razak Dar, the village head, as bad smell coming out of the muck brought by the flood water irritates every passer-by. Befuna village in Pampore has faced the brunt of floods as at least 70 houses have been razed to ground. The rest of the houses have developed cracks all around, making them unsafe. “You are talking of relief, not even a single biscuit packet reached this place despite the fact that this village is just one kilometer away from Pampore town,” says elderly Dar with anger visible on his face. “Only God knows here is a village where unfortunate people like us live.” After the floods, the locals have not seen even a single government official. “We even didn’t see any NGO coming here for relief distribution. It seems as if we don’t exist at all,” says Abdul Samad Dar, another resident. Dar’s house is completely damaged. “See what has happened to my house. It collapsed soon after water started receding,” he says. The village doesn’t have even a government dispensary. “We were planning to demand basic healthcare and other facilities for this village, but flood brought endless miseries for us. It took away our homes, we are living like refugees in our own village,” said a woman in veil. Here there are no roads, electricity and water. “Whatever we have is because of our own efforts. We have managed electricity from another village at our own expenses. There is no concept of high tension and low tension lines,” she says. Rafiq Ahmed Dar, a mason by profession, says the village has been forgotten by all regimes. “It seems that this village has not even a mention in the revenue records,” he says as other seconded him. He says when the devastating floods hit the village, people decided to prefer life over property. “When flood water reached this place, people came out of their homes along with cattle, leaving behind everything else,” he says. Rafiq’s house remained safe but flood destroyed the house of his uncle and sister. The flood didn’t spare even the two Masjids here. Jamia Masjid has developed cracks in its floor while another one constructed recently has almost sank. The elders of this village have prepared a list of those who lost their homes and those whose houses developed cracks for submitting the same to Deputy Commissioner Pulwama. “Barring a few families, entire village is poor and most of the people here are labourers,” says Manzoor Ahmed. The village, he says, needs a relief package from the government. “Our case is genuine, let the government officials come here and assess the damage,” he says. The village elders are also concerned about water-borne diseases as water is still present in the lower belt. “Our houses, lanes and by-lanes stink due to the sewage brought by the flood water. We demand that government should at least set up a health clinic here besides we should be provided with anti-infection sprays,” says Ahmed. “We hope government would wake up and recognize this village now,” he says.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 03:20:25 +0000

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