India News | Anna Nagar Incident: Displaced Families Stare at Bleak Future
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. A day after over 10 houses collapsed in central Delhi's Anna Nagar following heavy rains, the displaced families stare at a bleak future with no roof above their heads and limited means of earning a livelihood.
New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) A day after over 10 houses collapsed in central Delhi's Anna Nagar following heavy rains, the displaced families stare at a bleak future with no roof above their heads and limited means of earning a livelihood.
The incident which left many families displaced came at a time when the colony residents were already grappling with decreasing income due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown in the country.
Over 10 houses of the colony collapsed when heavy rains lashed the national capital on Sunday.
The colony is located behind the under-construction WHO headquarters in ITO and is next to a drain. The drain started overflowing on Sunday morning and swept away the houses, trees and shops in the area.
The slum residents have taken shelter at a tent erected by the authorities near the Indraprastha Metro Station.
"How long can we live in such tents? It is all temporary. We need a house or a permanent place to live. Even as the authorities are emphasizing on staying indoors to prevent coronavirus spread, the incident has left us homeless," Junaid (25), who lost his house due to the rains, said.
The tent has two fans and carpets for the families to rest.
The displaced families said they had a sleepless night at the temporary shelter as they are clueless about their lives ahead.
“We do not have any money left. All our belongings were washed away, we are only left with the clothes we are wearing,” an inmate said.
The families added that the coronavirus pandemic had already made life tough as many of them lost jobs.
"How can we sleep in peace? We have lost our houses. Was the pandemic not enough? We do not have money to even buy essential goods. I left my two kids with my mother and since my younger child is only 2-years-old, she is staying with me in the tent,” Mangla (26), who lived in a joint family at their two-storey house, said.
Some inmates also complained that they were not given breakfast.
The Delhi District Management Authoritiy, however, arrived at the shelter later and distributed food to the families.
Pushpa, who also lost her house, is now living in the tent with her family and their dog Annu.
"Around 8 am (on Sunday), people started screaming, asking everyone to come out. We sensed something was wrong and rushed outside. In no time, our house collapsed. Our dog managed to pull one of our goats outside the house. But we lost the animals in the melee.
“One of our neighbours found Annu and brought him to us,” she said.
Meanwhile, the office of the District Magistrate (central) provided compensation to 10 families who were displaced due to the incident.
“A compensation amount of Rs 25,000 has been given by the office of District Magistrate (Central) to 10 families who were displaced after their houses collapsed Sunday morning,” District Magistrate (central) Nidhi Shriastava said.
The families also said that a few good samaritans provided them ‘chappal' (footwear) and masks.
However, some of the inmates claimed that they did not receive the compensation amount.
“We did not get the compensation amount. My family took shelter at a nearby temple on Sunday night. We later moved to the tent,” Rekha Rani (40) said.
"My house collapsed right in front of my eyes. We lost everything. I do not know how we are going to survive. The pandemic has already taken away my job. My employer asked me not to come for work since the lockdown began. But at least I had a house. This disaster has brought us on the road,” she added.
Apart from those whose houses collapsed, several other residents of the colony locked their houses after they developed cracks. They have since moved to the tent.
"I have been staying in the colony for 40 years, never have I witnessed such a disaster. For now, we have locked our houses and shifted to the tent set up by the authorities,” Pankaj said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)