Flood victims in Srinagar who lost their homes last year continue to cry for relief as hundreds of such families are still waiting for the second instalment of the compensation which the government had promised to release by the end of July.
The flood victims across Srinagar, which was worst hit in September last year, have been waiting for the compensation for over a year now. They have alleged partiality on the part of the authorities.
“In our locality most of the houses were either damaged or partially damaged but some have received the compensation while some are yet to get it. We went to officials concerned many times but to no avail,” said Mehreen Gulzar of Raj Bagh. The government has so far announced compensation under three categories: those falling under the fully damaged category have been paid money in three instalments (Rs 2,75,000); two instalments (Rs 12,600 + Rs 50,000) had been announced for the severely damaged category, but many families in Srinagar are yet to get the second instalment. Those falling under the third partially damaged category were paid Rs 3,800 in the first instalment. As the annual festival of Eid-ul-Azha is near, the families are in a dilemma.
“We have been running from pillar to post for the second instalment of Rs 50,000, but nothing is happening as officials are not cooperating,” said another victim from Batamaloo.
After a deluge hit the Valley, the then Congress-National Conference government had sought a financial assistance of Rs 44,000 crore from the Centre for rehabilitating the victims but the Central Government did not approve the package. The flood victims are yet to get the comprehensive relief from the government. As per government estimates, 2, 61,361 structures were damaged in the calamity. Of these, 21,485 were completely damaged. Official figures show that over Rs 300 crore has been given to affected families.
