Syed Nashir Ali Gillani
Srinagar, Nov 08: For the last two weeks, the fire victims at Chattabal here have been awaiting rehabilitation.
On October 26, at least a dozen of the residential houses in the locality were damaged in a fire.
While the district administration had assured of all possible help, so far no help has been provided to the victims. Rehabilitation continues to a be distant dream for them.
“We were assured of financial assistance and rehabilitation at a suitable place. We have been living at the mercy of the neighbours , who have been providing us clothes and monetary help,” said Ghulam Hassan Sheikh, a victim.
Bashir Ahmad, another victim, added: “Only Patwari visited us and assessed the loss, but we have just been provided Rs 5,000 each. We want shelter. We have been putting up in a private under-construction marriage hall.”
They said they were not allowed to remove the rubble, as the authorities wanted to assess the loss again.“There is a chance of disease outbreaks because of all this mess around,” said Bashir Ahmad.
Deputy Commissioner (DC), Srinagar, Abid Rashid Shah, could not be contacted for his comments.
