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Residents of Badlapur near Mumbai fear returning to mucky houses
Deepak Burman, 50, a resident of Ganesh Nagar, Badlapur (West) is struggling to take his family of three back home since after their house flooded two weeks ago.
Deepak Burman, 50, a resident of Ganesh Nagar, Badlapur (West) is struggling to take his family of three back home since after their house flooded two weeks ago.
Deepak’s wife Neelima, 30, and their two children have taken shelter in a temple, where he works.
He was in Kolkata for his father’s treatment when he heard about the flood.
“I am glad that I sent her to the temple otherwise she would have got stuck in the house. I rushed back to my family and found them hassled. We have not returned to our house as there is nothing left there,” said Deepak.
Around 70 people have taken shelter at the temple at Satsang Vihar as they could not return their homes.
They have been eating and sleeping there for the past two weeks.
“When I returned and checked my house I was devastated. Our belongings were ruined and damaged. I don’t have money to buy milk for my kids. There is no work for me now as the city is still limping back to normalcy,” added Deepak.
Around 40,000 residents of Badlapur have been affected by the heavy downpour.
People were shifted to safe places as water entered their houses.
“I live in a chawl in Hendrepada with my family of two. I have a six-month-old baby. I am staying away from area because I am afraid that diseases might break out. My house is still filled with muck and dirt. I have been staying at this temple since the downpour started,” said 38-year-old Sunil Patil.
Some of residents also complained that none of the civic authorities have visited them after the floods.
“Some people helped us with food and clothes but no civic employees have reached us so far,” said Shanta Patil, 45, a resident of Ganesh Nagar, Badlapur (West).