Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (DC)
Bantwal, Jun 12: The incessant rains that lashed across the district have caused inconvenience to a poor family which has been living in a dilapidated shed in Sarapady gram panchayat limits here over the last seven years.
The head of the family Sanjeeva's poor health condition has added to their woes. Sanjeeva, a resident of Ujaradi quarters in Allipade worked as a daily wage laborer. He lives with wife Sunanda and four children, but eight months ago he was diagnosed with Hernia and the surgery for the same is delayed due to lack of funds.
His wife Sunanda runs the show by rolling beedies. Unfortunately she too suffers from heart-related ailments. Their children have been admitted at Kalladka private school but the family is struggling and cannot afford to pay transportation fee and other expenses.
The heavy winds and rains that lashed across the district over the last few days have damaged the only shed they were living in.
For the past seven years the shed has had no door. It was built on government land consisting of a single room covered with tarpaulin sheets, but the sheets are damaged and the leaking roof due to incessant rains has forced them to take shelter at their neighbors’ house.
The family has no identity cards other than Adhaar. They do not have ration card, bank account, electricity supply, toilet or road. The mud road leading to their shed too is in pathetic condition.
The locals say that decades ago, the then MLA B Nagaraj Shetty had promised to build houses for the poor. Now BJP's MLA Rajesh Naik Ulippady and the lone Congress minister U T Khader who is in-charge of housing ministry must take the necessary step to provide the poor family a proper house to live in.
Sunanda speaking to daijiworld said, "I went to open a bank account but since I did not have the required amount of Rs 1000 I returned. We are living in this shed for the last seven years. We applied for title deeds but we have not yet received any. We do not have ration card either. Since we cannot afford to admit our children in nearby schools, they are studying at Kalladka Shri Rama School, but we are unable to spend on their transportation and other expenses."
Neethu Ajilamogaru, member of Tulunadu Porlu Seva Trust said, "We are trying to help the family through donors. We also urge like-minded people to come forward to help the family."
Rajashekhara Rai, Sarapady gram panchayat official said that he was not aware of the condition of the family. "The family can approach the panchayat and file an application so that we can fulfil their requirement."