HYDERABAD: Residents of houses hit by the floods want the government to increase the cash relief by Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000, as the amount of Rs 10,000 being disbursed at present is not sufficient to cover cost of all the damages.
They said that Rs 10,000 would only be enough for them to purchase groceries and pay house rent for a month. If the aid is increased five-fold, it would help them buy household articles like TV, refrigerator, washing machine and others, which they had lost in the floods.
A few residents of MS Maqta in Khairatabad, whose homes were damaged in the deluge, told The New Indian Express that they would restore their houses only after they receive adequate financial assistance from the government. The disfigured houses have been covered up with plastic bags and flexis.
The State government had announced a financial aid of Rs 1 lakh for damaged houses, and Rs 50,000 for partially damaged houses. The amount of Rs 10,000 was distributed as a gratuitous relief to the families for loss of clothing, utensils, food items, household goods etc.
Shahnaz Begum of MS Maqta, who lost household articles - from utensils to electronic items - in the floods, said, "My husband is unemployed. Keeping in mind our poor financial condition, the State government should give us more money."
"What will we do with Rs 10,000, when we have lost household articles worth Rs 1 lakh? The COVID crisis has already brought us to our knees, and now the rains have made things worse. The government must release the amount promised. Without its support, we cannot repair our house and restart our lives" said Abdul Rahim, another resident.
"A major portion of our house collapsed in the rains. We have covered up the damaged portion with flexis. We don’t have the money to repair it," said Malan Bee, who resides in MS Maqta.
While thanking the State for the cash relief of Rs 10,000, she urged MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao to release the additional amount promised. "To rebuild the house, we require at least Rs 4 lakh, as the construction material is very costly. Even if the government gives us Rs 1 lakh, we still don't know how to find the rest of the money," Syed Asghar, another resident, said.
Former vice-chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Marri Shashidhar Reddy, on Thursday, underscored the need for a foolproof mechanism to tackle disasters of the size of the floods that ravaged the city recently. He said, "Beautification of Hyderabad is not a priority, but the safety of citizens is."
He said that it is imperative that the government constitute an authority to respond to disasters. "We need basic infrastructure.. Despite the government spending Rs 65,000 crore, we don’t have it."
Hetero Drugs, on Thursday, donated Rs 10 crore towards the relief and rehabilitation of flood victims. Hetero Group chairman B Parthasaradhi Reddy said that the financial aid was given in response to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s call to help the poor affected by the deluge in Hyderabad. Ramoji Group chairman Ch Ramoji Rao, meanwhile, donated Rs 5 crore to the CMRF. Municipal Minister KT Rama Rao rang up Ramoji Rao and thanked him for his contribution. Other donations: