For loss of house, relief of only Rs 100

Mangalore: Aboobakar Kakkebettu, a beneficiary of Calamity Relief Fund, saw his life ruined by nature's fury, and suffered blows dealt with by bureaucracy.

The swing from good times to bad luck for the daily wager began in July, 2009. On a rainy night, a tree came down crashing on his house at Innoli, Pavoor village, 30 kilometres from Mangalore.

Aboobakar and his family had a providential escape then. However, the walls had suffered extensive damage, and 500 tiles were completely destroyed.

The then Pavoor Gram Panchayat president (currently Taluk Panchayat member) Mohammed Malar had promised to get Aboobakar relief under the Calamity Relief Fund.

A few months later, Aboobakar received a call from a village accountant asking him to collect the compensation. Surprised by the government's quick response, he rushed to the panchayat office and collected the cheque.

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Aboobakar, an illiterate, with misty eyes handed the cheque to his son Thofique. The display of happiness on his face turned into one of disappointment, when his son said the cheque was for a mere Rs 100.

By that time, they had borrowed huge amounts from moneylenders to repair the house, pinning all their hopes on the compensation amount.

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"Receiving a cheque for Rs 100 was an embarrassing and shocking moment in my life," says    Aboobakar, and added: "Worse, it was a crossed cheque, and I don't have a bank account."

Moodbidri tahsildar Muralidhar said the minimum amount released under Calamities Relief Fund was Rs 500. He said he was not aware of how the cheque was dispatched, and promised to look into the issue.

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