Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 28: The District Administration Pulwama has sent a request of 3000 tents for providing temporary shelters to the people whose houses were damaged in floods but so far no tents were sent. The flood victims are either sharing neighbour’s and relatives houses or are living under open skies.
Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Sajad Ahmad Khan told Excelsior that he has not received tents from the Government. “I have sent the requisition of 3000 tents to the Government six days ago but I have not received any thing yet,” he said.
The flood waters has receded in South Kashmir 20 days ago but Government has failed to provide tents to the people whose houses have been damaged by floods.
As per the official estimates in Pulwama district 4,164 houses were completely damaged and 15,353 houses suffered partial damage. And out of the 350 villages, 145 were affected by the floods and 88 were submerged
Majority of the people are either living under open sky or share space with their relatives and neighbours. Residents of Gulzarpora, Beighpora, Malangpora, Gulbugh, Hanjipora, and other flood affected areas whose house were completely damaged said the Government and the district administration has not provided them tents as temporary shelter.
Gulzarpora is the worst affected, out of 300 residential houses, 250 are damaged, and 52 have been razed to rubble after waters of Rambiara devastated the village. In the neighbouring village Beighpora at least 100 houses were damaged due to floods.
Fayaz Ahmad of Gulzarpora village said they are living a life of homelessness. “Not a single tent has been provided to us. We have no house to live. How will we live under open sky?” he asked.
Mohammad Yousuf of Gulbugh, lives in a tin shed along with this wife and four minor daughters after his house collapsed in the floods.
Yousuf, a barber by profession, said he has nowhere to go and spends the harsh days and nights with his family under open sky. “Where is relief and where are the people who claim that we have given tents to flood affected. Will the Government provide us tents when my family dies,” he asked.
In Malangpora village 32 houses have collapsed due to the flood and the affected families are homeless. Similarly residents in Hanjipora, Wandakhpora, Konibal, Kunjipora, Ratnipora said they have no got any tents or blankets from the Government.
Ghulam Qadir Rather of Ratnipora, whose two-storey house collapsed in the flood said they are living in a neighbour’s house.
“We have kept our household belongings in one neighbour’s house and are ourselves putting up in another’s room. There is no relief in sight, even no tent or a blanket from the administration,” Rather, a labourer said.
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