Shocked Kaath Bangla residents take refuge in govt school

DEHRADUN: For the 500 residents of Kaath Bangla locality, Saturday night was the longest one they have ever witnessed. It was a night of horror as fearing another landslide, residents left their homes and took shelter either at their friends’ place or at a nearby government school.
On Sunday morning, they heaved a sigh of relief when they came back and saw that their houses were intact.“I came out four times in the night just to see if everything was fine. No one in the colony slept last night,” said local resident Abhikhek Kumar.
The rubble of the houses destroyed in the natural calamity has not yet been cleared by the administration. The houses that are intact wore a deserted look as residents have taken temporary refuge elsewhere. “I don’t know for how long we would have to stay in the school because it is still raining intermittently. We have got household items here for cooking and sleeping,” said another resident Lakshman. With debris scattered all around, a pall of gloom hung over the locality.
Shashibala, mother of Laksh Vendra Singh, who was killed in the landslide, refused to leave her house. “I lost my son here. I cannot leave this house. Also, our family is poor and has no option to live elsewhere.” Only one room of the house was washed away in the tragedy.
The sole survivor of the tragedy, Chandrabala is in Doon Hospital. Her relative Padam Sahi said, “She is too shocked to speak anything after she regained consciousness. It will take at least a month for her to come out of the trauma.”
Meanwhile, the state health department swung into action to provide relief to the affected. Chief medical officer of Dehradun, BS Jangpangi said, “Two teams of officials have been sent to villages around Dehradun which have lost connectivity. A team of doctors with an ambulance has also been sent to provide immediate medical help.”
The last rites of the four deceased members of the family, whose only survivor is Chandrabala, were performed in Lakhibag on Sunday.
Residents claim that it is insensitive on part of the government to not clear the debris from the area. “Ideally, the areas should have been cordoned off and no one should have been allowed to stay there. But, today I saw children playing around the damaged houses,” said a local resident.