PUNE: As Pune is likely to receive more rains till at least November 3, the residents of Tangewale Colony near Ambil Odha in Sahakar Nagar are dreading what comes next.
Their living conditions are poor as most of the 90-odd houses there were damaged and a few collapsed in the flash floods of September 25. These Pune Smart City residents are yet to get new houses.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Rubal Agarwal stated that since the families wish to be rehabilitated in the same area, the process of clearance of nearby land from the Revenue Department is underway.
CELEBRATION AMISS
“Most of the houses near Ambil Odha were damaged so badly that it has become impossible to live there,” said a resident, Shakuntala Mote, who has been staying at someone else’s house since the calamity struck.
“I did not even go home to celebrate Diwali as the house is in no condition to clean and repair. Many others in our area had to go through the same. What’s worse than to celebrate a festival like this?” she asked.
BEYOND REPAIR
Several residents whose houses were destroyed beyond repair are living in a temporary shelter provided by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) at the Maharashtra Labour Welfare Board Office in Sahakar Nagar. Surprisingly, a month after the disaster, they were told to vacate that area too.
“We understand that we cannot live there forever. It wasn’t the best place to live even for us,” Parveen Kirsul said, revealing that 70 people shared one washroom at the centre.
“We spent a month there in horrible conditions. However, our houses are still in bad shape. We need alternative housing arrangements from the government.”
REHABILITATION PROGRAMME
Agarwal said, “We discussed with the residents if we could assimilate them in several of our schemes, as well as those of the State government and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). However, they did not want to leave the area and wished to be rehabilitated on a vacant plot of land nearby. So we have asked for permission from the SRA and the district collector. Once we get clearance from them and acquire the land from the Revenue Department, we will be asking the SRA builders to build homes for the affected residents.”
Interestingly, most of the families in that area had moved there as Panshet flood victims and were residing there for more than 50 years. “It was our land where builders built these huge societies. We were tricked and pushed back into this small area near the Odha. But we have been living here forever, we do not want to leave. Our whole life and livelihoods are here. We want new homes here itself,” Mote added.
