Teerath Singh inside his house which was badly damaged by floods
For thousands left homeless by the devastating floods in Jammu and Kashmir in September, the state government has come up with a plan - it will pay the rent for accommodations that those displaced by the floods choose to hire till the time government of India approves a mega rehabilitation plan.
"We will be paying the rent to flood victims if they choose to hire rented accommodation. It's has been approved by cabinet before the model code of conduct for elections came into force. We will pay it out of chief minister's relief fund and modalities are being worked out to implement it on ground," Revenue Secretary Vinod Koul told NDTV.
The scheme may help people like Teerath Singh whose house was badly damaged by floods at Gogji Bagh in Srinagar. For over two months, the 75-year-old has been waiting for government relief to help him rebuild his life once again. But the state government has declared his three-storey home as only partially damaged, which makes him eligible to get a compensation of just Rs 3800 from the State Disaster Relief Fund.
Based on the damage assessment carried out by government agencies, houses that have suffered 15 per cent damage in the floods are declared partially damaged. The government is paying Rs 75,000 for fully damaged houses, Rs 12,500 for severely damaged houses and Rs 3,800 for partially damaged houses.
The damage assessment was carried out near two months ago. Since then, walls inside many houses have caved in and cracks have widened.
"Nobody cares whether I'm dead or alive. No one comes here to help us. I am compelled to sell the house and leave this place. From outside it looks fine - but inside it is completely damaged," says Teerath Singh.
Others say the government's paltry relief is a joke. "They give us Rs 3800. Tell me how much will it cost to first demolish this house and then rebuild it? This is a mockery... what can we do with Rs 3800?" says Foujwan Singh.
But the state government says this is just the first installment. "This is not a relief. For payment of relief which will help their rehabilitation is under the package which has been submitted to Government of India which involves Rs 44,000 crore," Mr Koul explains.
Official sources say there are no takers for over 6000 cheques prepared as compensation for partially damaged houses in Srinagar. More than 2 lakh structures have been damaged by floods across the state and the government is still waiting for the Rs 44,000 crore relief package submitted to Centre.