Uttarakhand floods: After four years, 20 families still homeless

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand): Twenty families who were displaced during the 2013 floods in Uttarakhand have again approached the government in the hope that they will be resettled. The families, from Kafnaul village in Barkot area, yesterday met Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Kumar Chauhan to apprise him of their situation.

“We have approached the authorities a number of times but nothing has been done so far,” said Dharmiyalal, who led the delegation to the district magistrate.

In 2013, their homes near a local rivulet in Barkot were washed away after floods ravaged the hill state, killing thousands of people and leaving many thousands more stranded.

Barkot Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manuj Goyal, who headed a team to look into the plight of homeless people in his area, said he had sent his report to the district administration with suggestions for their resettlement or relocation but a response was still awaited.

The affected families are forced to stay in rented spaces in nearby villages. They haven’t got any compensation or financial assistance promised to them by the district administration, he said.