Four months after a fatal landslide killed 40 people in Saddal village of the district, lack of support from the government has left villagers to fend for themselves in the harsh conditions.
"We are still at the mercy of God in these harsh weather conditions. Government and political leaders only assure help but the ground reality is different," said Romesh Singh, sarpanch of the village, demanding immediate shelters for the affected people and alleging that the government has totally failed to mitigate their problems.
Meanwhile, the retrieval of the body of one Sushma Devi on Tuesday from the debris of the landslide has rekindled hopes among the relatives of getting the back the bodies of their loved ones.
"Only a leg of the body of my brother was retrieved and we are still hoping to get the remaining parts," villager Girdhari Lal said. "Out of the seven members of my family who have been buried under the debris, five have been recovered and bodies of my two minor sons are still untraced," Lal added.
Kapoor Singh is also hopeful for retrieval of his son's and wife's bodies. "I cannot forget the day when the mud slide took away five of my family," Kapoor said.
{{/usCountry}}Kapoor Singh is also hopeful for retrieval of his son's and wife's bodies. "I cannot forget the day when the mud slide took away five of my family," Kapoor said.
{{/usCountry}}Similar is the condition of 84-year-old Dhano Devi who lost nine family members in the land slides. Seven of Devi's buried relatives have been recovered but the bodies of her son and grandson are yet to be retrieved.
34 bodies have been recovered so far from the wreckage of the landslide which wiped-out seven families from the village.