HYDERABAD: Several victims whose houses were completely damaged and swept away in Shankar Nagar, Chaderghat, during the 2020 Hyderabad floods have requested the government to consider them under the ongoing rehabilitation process in the Musi riverfront project and allot 2BHK houses for them.
Ayesha Parveen (23), who has been living separately from her husband since 2021, told TNIE, “My marriage was around a year old when the floods hit Hyderabad. Before my house got damaged and washed away due to floods, my husband would persuade me to transfer it in his name so that he could further transfer it as a gift in my in-laws’ name. But I was not sure and did not agree as I wanted to keep the property as a security for the future of my two children.” Ever since she has been pursuing a B SC in Nursing while residing at her parent’s house.
Another victim, Rabia Begum said, “Around nine days ago, when the authorities came and were marking the house with RB-X signs, we asked them to include us and do the markings at our houses/land too but they denied saying that there is no structure only and priority would be given to people who already have houses.”
Rabia is a mother of six children. Hers is one of the 11 families in Shankar Nagar whose houses were completely damaged and washed away.
Just like others affected during the 2020 flood, she has been staying as a tenant in a rented house nearby and pays Rs 6,000 monthly. Similar to many other women in the neighbourhood, she weaves tree leaves (patta piranha) to make garlands and earns around Rs 50 to Rs 60 daily.
Meanwhile, one of the victims, Mubeen Begum points out the leftover bricks on the floor right across the Musi, of what once used to be her own house.
“To follow up, we went to the MRO (Mandal Revenue Office) office, Amberpet a lot of times. The officials would repeat that we would get compensation and receive the money in our bank accounts or if not that then an alternative house. But not even a single penny came,” Mubeen lamented.
An MRO official told TNIE, “No such cases have ever come to us so far. But in such cases, rehabilitation cannot be done. The ones who have houses that are being demolished have already been allotted 2 BHKs.”