And life goes on

 

 

Come winter and thousands of people in the earthquake-affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir shall be at the mercy of rough weather again. Shelter against rain, snow and sub-zero temperatures, like last year, shall again be tin sheds. The sheds were erected after a deadly earthquake destroyed their houses on the morning of 8 October 2005.

The quake not only destroyed houses, it upset the civic infrastructure. Added to this, corrupt practices have become a part of the distribution of aid worth hundreds of crores of rupees. Incidentally, if the reconstruction continues at the present pace, it could take a few more years for the restoration of normal life. The 8 October quake – whose epicentre lay near the Muzaffarabad town in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) – besides killing 974 people, razed over 20,000 houses while another 6,000 were partially damaged across Uri, Tangdhar and Karnah sectors lying close to the Line of Control in northern Kashmir. Needless to say, the quake left thousands of people homeless.

To tackle the situation, the government announced an immediate relief package of Rs 30,000 for every family rendered homeless. The government promised an additional aid of Rs one lakh in three different instalments over the next one year. The first of the instalments came early this year when the government distributed cheques worth Rs 40,000 to the families whose dwellings were completely damaged. With the second instalment yet to come, what lie on the ground are thousands of plinth structures and an equal number of tin sheds that have now become permanent dwellings for the victims.

In Sultan Daki, one of the worst affected villages in Uri Sector of northern Baramulla district, the only new structures in brick and cement are a couple of houses constructed by an NGO and a school building constructed with the help of the Indian Army. The residents of adjoining Dachi village have been luckier, as an NGO, Help a Child of India has taken up construction of 310 houses.

Amidst this, people have begun realising that Rs one lakh is too little for building a quake-resistant house. The government has issued instructions that relief money be held back if such houses are not built. For people living in inaccessible areas, this is an uphill task. Reaching materials in these areas is an expensive proposition. “The labour charges between Rs 25 and Rs 50 per bag of sand depending upon the distance,” says Mukhtar Mangral of remote Parampeela village. Corrupt practices surrounding the relief work include bribes to workers of a ruling party to get relief cheques. On the other hand in Garkote village it is alleged that more than one cheque has been issued to influential families. Relief cheques have also been issued to youths who neither have separate families nor separate houses. Uri’s Deputy Tehsildar was removed on charges of demanding money for disposing cases quickly and clearing fake claims of relief. Official approach to corrupt practices is appalling.