Villager struggles to include niece in beneficiaries list

Reshma Basne, a survivor; Dama Bhavar, her father; Tukaram Bhavar, her uncle and Nami Bhavar, her mother

Not finding the name of his married niece in the local tehsildar record left a thirty-three-year-old villager running from pillar to post on Monday. Despite attempts to convince the local cooperative bank and state administration officials, they turned a deaf ear.

Armed with copies of his niece Reshma's, 27, school leaving certificate, as well as copies of her parents' ration card, PAN card, and photographs, Tukaram Natu Bhavar left no stone unturned to include her in the list of beneficiaries. However, he failed to persuade the authorities beyond a certain limit.

Tukaram hails from Nadal village, en route Irsalwadi. He mentioned, "Both Dama and his wife Nami, Reshma's parents are missing and are believed to be buried under the landslide debris. Reshma, married and residing in Nadal village with her unemployed husband Santosh Basne, 36, has three young children (aged 3 to 5 years). She is the sole survivor and the only legal heir entitled to compensation and rehabilitation benefits as announced by the state government."

According to Tukaram, Nami, Reshma's mother, suffered a stroke two years ago, and he brought them down to their village from Irsalwadi for regular hospital treatment. Despite efforts and expenses for treatment, Nami's condition worsened, and she remained bedridden. Consequently, she returned to her small hut in Irchalwadi, where she lived with Dama until the end.

"I provided them weekly groceries and ration, which was their primary source for daily food requirements. Dama worked as a daily wage earner occasionally, earning around R 300 whenever work was available," Tukaram said.

Livestock and parents missing

Nami was immobile, and Dama managed the household and livestock, including two goats, a cow, and hens. On the fateful night, they were fast asleep when the landslide struck, burying their house under debris.

"Reshma and all of us were at the site where the rescue work was ongoing for the last five days. Though we found some utensils and groceries that we had supplied in the debris when it was cleared, the livestock and Reshma's parents are still missing," said Tukaram.

Opening bank account

On Monday morning, officials from the local Raigad District Central Cooperative (RDCC) Bank, Chouk branch, Khalapur taluka, visited the containers providing temporary accommodation to the landslide survivors. They came with a list of survivors and next of kin of those deceased and missing, helping them open saving bank accounts based on their Aadhar cards provided by the revenue department.

Reshma's name missing

The bank officials, however, could not find Reshma's name on the list from the Khalapur tehsildar's office, preventing them from processing her account opening form. As a result, Reshma did not get entitled to a container to stay, which she rightfully deserved, claims Tukaram. Reshma and her husband are extremely poor and had never possessed a bank account. Being the sole survivor, she should have been entitled to the compensation and other benefits announced by the state government. However, all pleas went unheard initially, according to Tukaram.

Bank official speak

Snehal Pagare, an RDCC bank employee, confirmed that Reshma's name was missing from the provided list, which prevented them from verifying her credentials. Nevertheless, they filled out the account opening form on her behalf, pending clearance from the tehsildar's office.

"We completed the account opening form for 40 survivors by Monday evening, and the rest will be covered in the coming days. We will open savings accounts for them and submit the list to the tehsildar's office, who will then forward it to the revenue officials," Pagare said.

Activist speak

Activist Santosh Thakur emphasised that it would be unfair for the state government to compensate and rehabilitate only those whose names were provided by the local revenue officials without considering the next of kin or legal heirs of the deceased and missing.

Legal solution

Advocate Siddharth Ingle, working for the upliftment of downtrodden communitiesn, emphasised that local revenue authorities should handle such cases sensitively and accept the documents produced by the next of kin as proof of being rightful claimants of the deceased and missing victims. He added that no one can be refused their right to claim government compensation based on hearsay or erroneous lists prepared by local revenue officials. Attempts to contact Ayub Tamboli, tehsildar of Khalapur, were unsuccessful.