Maharashtra: For Irsalwadi survivors, Diwali signals relief

For the survivors of the Irsalwadi landslide that occured in July this year this Diwali marks the realisation of a longawaited dream The construction of their houses is set to commence shortly after the Bhau Beej festival on Wednesday The land levelling work has been nearly completedOn Diwali day Sunday Dr Shrikant Shinde MP and son of CM Eknath Shinde personally visited the makeshift containers where survivors were residing He distributed Diwali sweets and handed over Rs 25000 to each of the families However activists in the area highlight that the promised jobs and free ration kits for this month are yet to reach the survivors prompting questions about the delayThe activists also emphasised that eleven families fortunate to survive the landslide have not received any monetary compensation A senior official from the Chief Ministers office confirmed Dr Shindes visit and assured that the construction of houses would be completed by March 2024Joy amidst concernsLocals joyfully shared that Dr Shindes visit on Sunday brought happiness to the children and elders A large Diwali lantern adorned the entrance of the containers and Dr Shinde distributed sweets firecrackers and Rs 25000 to each of the fortythree families living there according to survivor Jagdish PardeAlso read Maharashtra Desperate for Diwali cash bonded labourer brutally caned in PalgharMakeshift containers where the survivors now liveGrateful for the leaders gesture Parde said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is a man of his word He stood by us from day one and we are hopeful that our homes will be ready by the next monsoon We also hope that those without jobs will find employment soonUnmet needsMadhav Maruthi Supak a survivor pointed out that the families who survived the landslide are yet to receive promised jobs unlike those who lost their lives He expressed disappointment that these eleven families did not receive any financial support and mentioned the altered spirit of Diwali for Irsalwadi villagersMadhav said Many youths aged 19 to 25 in the containers are unemployed The free ration kit received until October has not been delivered for November We are managing with leftover supplies from the previous monthAdvocate Siddharth Ingle closely working with activists emphasised the importance of providing jobs or skills training to the unemployed youth He urged authorities to ensure timely construction to avoid delays similar to the Taliye landslide victimsLand levelling work is going on at the construction siteldquoThe need of the hour is to ensure that the young boys in the age group of 19 to 25 years who are jobless at present their hands need work and hence they should get a job immediately or should be provided with skill training so that they can be selfdependentrdquo Ingle saidDiwali will never be the sameMadhav recalled ldquoDiwali used to be the celebration time for villagers all the houses on the hilltop would be lit villagers would spend time distributing sweets bursting crackers and lighting up their houses but Diwali will never be the same for us anymorerdquoProgress on rehabilitationThe state government has approved 65 acres of land in Manivali village for the rehabilitation of Irsalwadi landslide survivors The levelled plot previously used for cattle grazing will provide approximately 3000 sq feet plots for each of the 43 families with houses of around 600 sq feet of carpet areaDesign of the housesCIDCO the overseeing agency will decide the design layout and construction The Assistant Block Development Officer C H Rajput expressed optimism that the construction would be completed before the next monsoonldquoThe CIDCOappointed contractor has already constructed their site office and will be constructing the houses as per the approved layout on 3 guntas of land each familyrdquo the official saidFastest rehabilitation everIf all goes as planned construction including facilities like a community centre dispensary and Anganwadi for the entire villages rehabilitation is expected to be completed in five to six months This would mark the fastest rehabilitation of natural calamity victims in Maharashtra unprecedented in its urgency stated an anonymous government officialJob offers and ration distributionA government official stated that job offers were initially planned but faced obstacles efforts are underway to provide training for selfemployment Local Guardian Minister Uday Samant would meet with survivors to address the job issueRegarding ration distribution the officer clarified that delays might occur but the fair price shop responsible for supplying ration kits will distribute them once they receive their suppliesOngoing restrictionsAbout the restriction on visiting the landslide site the officer said The order restricting entry to the site remains in effect We advise against visiting to prevent potential incidents due to weakened soils from the hill locks Despite warnings some locals continue to visit but we stress the importance of refraining for safetyMar 2024Time by when the construction will be completed