Relief centre to close: Bleak future for flood victims

As many as 49 flood victims have vented their ire against the government as the district administration has decided to close down the relief centre opened at Maitri Hall in Madikeri.

Staging a flash protest against the district administration’s move, the victims said that they took shelter in the relief centre for four months, after they lost their houses following landslides. But now, the district administration is trying to vacate them, they said.

“The Rs 10,000 house rent allowance that the state government had promised us has not been deposited to our bank account so far. Now, the officials have asked us to vacate the hall without making any alternative arrangements to stay,” said the victims.

The officials said that 250 victims took shelter in Maitri Hall between August and September. The number dwindled gradually as the victims moved to their places. Currently, 49 people are left in Maitri Hall. Among these, several are from the line houses of coffee estates. During the initial days, the district administration appointed cooks for preparing meals. Later, the victims prepared food themselves.

Now, the victims say that they will not vacate the hall until the government provides them with a rent allowance.

Relief materials rot

The grains stored in the warehouses in APMC, Kushalnagar, and Government PU College, Madikeri, are getting infested with worms.

During his visit to the district recently, District In-charge Minister Sa Ra Mahesh had directed the officials to distribute the relief materials to the people in the affected villages. But the officials have not taken any initiatives in this regard according to people.

Savitri, a victim, said that nobody is listening to the
woes of victims in the relief centres. The administration is not providing them with facilities.

K B Leelavathi, a victim from Makkandur said that the line house she was living in at a coffee estate had collapsed. The officials now claim that houses will not be constructed for those who do not possess any house documents.