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J-K flood fury: Officials add insult to people’s injury
‘Want a shelter, file an affidavit first’
Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 19
“Want a tent for shelter, file an affidavit first.” This is babus’ diktat for the people of the rain-ravaged mountainous belts of Jammu region. The diktat is contrary to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s directions to provide speedy relief to the people without any pre-condition. Furthermore, the tents provided to the homeless people would be taken back within a period of three months when winter would be at its peak.

These pre-conditions have been set up by the authorities in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district to provide relief to those families who have been rendered homeless by the devastating rains and floods.

“Yes, we will take back tents after three months. And we are also taking an affidavit from the people that they would return these tents after three months”, Tehsildar Mendhar, Rafiq told The Tribune. The Tehsildar was confident that homeless people would construct their houses within this period.

Even as the authorities claim to have provided relief to the affected families without any formality, the situation in the hilly mountainous belts of Jammu region is different. The state government has failed to dispatch adequate relief in these belts. Where the relief has reached, the authorities are adopting complicated process for disbursal.

According to an official data, 2,131 houses have been damaged by floods and incessant rains in Mendhar tehsil. Although some houses were partially damaged, these are yet to be declared safe by the authorities. Hence, a large number of people are demanding tents for shelters.

“As of now we have received 138 tents to provide shelter to those people who have become homeless due to incessant rains”, the tehsildar said. He admitted that the demand was much higher than the availability of tents.

Local political activist Nadeem Khan said the flood-hit people had lost everything. The policies adopted by the authorities had compounded their woes. The hapless people, already on the verge of starvation, have to spend some money to get the affidavit. Khan alleged that the state government was discriminating with Poonch and Rajouri districts while disbursing relief material.

Ironically, instead of providing tents to the people at their places, homeless families from the remotest and far-flung areas of Mendhar have to approach tehsil headquarter to get tents.