Kedarnath, June 16
Sunita Devi has forgotten to smile. Her eyes full of tears still wait for her husband who was one of those who got washed away in June last year when flashfloods wreaked havoc in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand. Similar is the fate of all those women who have been left to fend for themselves and their children in Badasu, Lamgaundi and Deoli Bhanigram villages.

“It was raining heavily on June 16. I was waiting for the routine call of my husband, who used to run a hotel at Rambarah on the Bridle path to Kedarnath. On receiving no call till late in the evening, I approached my neighbours who, too, had no clue about male members of their family. Two days later, some injured men returned from Kedarnath with the unfortunate tale of disaster,” said 21-year-old Sunita, a resident of Badasu village.

“Caught in a landslide, Sunita’s husband had run into a jungle where he died of cold and hunger,” said a villager who recovered his body hanging from a tree.

Veena Devi’s husband, a priest, was at the temple when the tragedy struck. Though he died on June 17, his body was recovered a few days later. “I have four children. I married off one of my daughters with Rs 5-lakh compensation that I received after my husband’s death. Now I am left with nothing to support my three school-going children,” said Veena of Lamgaundi village.

Kameshwari Devi lost her husband as well as the only son. “My husband used to work at the temple, while my son ran a canteen. Now, I have been left alone with no wish to live further,” she said.

According to the district disaster management unit, Deoli Bhanigram village was one of the worst-affected with 53 casualties reported. The tragedy widowed 37 women. The toll in Lamgaundi village was 25 and in Badasu 23. In Jal Talla and Jal Malla villages, 20 and 17 persons died, respectively. Other affected villages were: Kimaran (17), Chilaund (14), Tulanga (13), Triguginarayan (12), Lawana (11), Pathali (11), Khnanu (11) and Rudrapur (10).

The loss is so grave that these women have decided not to go to Kedarnath ever again even if it was the matter of survival. “For us, the doors of Kedarnath shrine have shut forever,” said Suman Devi of Lamgaundi.

Badasu gram pradhan Manju Devi said several government representatives and members of various NGOs had promised to help the victims by providing jobs, but except two NGOs — EFFICOR and Mandakini Mahila Bunker Samiti — nobody had bothered to revisit the village. EFFICOR provided cash for work, while Mandakini Mahila Bunker Samiti is trying to engage the affected women through self-employment schemes, she said, adding that Sulabh International and Bhuvneshwari Mahila Ashram were trying to instil confidence in family members of those killed in the disaster.

Uttarakhand Revenue and Finance Minister Indira Hridesh said the government was working to restore normalcy in the area. “The state’s economy depends on the Char Dham Yatra and the government is sensitive to various issues being faced by the people,” she said.

Hridesh said most of the widows belonged to priests’ families and the government was trying to provide them houses and other facilities, besides ensuring that their children who wanted to become priests were given full support. “The government is thinking of providing job to one person of a family who don’t want to go back to the same trade,” she added.