As state continues work on restoring power, villagers allege exploitation
Villagers clear debris of a house destroyed in the June 3 cyclone at Ade village on Friday. Pic/Atul Kamble
Ade: Twelve days after the cyclone destroyed Raigad area, most villagers continue to live in the dark and wait for their houses to be fixed. Many travel kilometres to villages that have power to charge their phone batteries, and some complain of being exploited by the villagers, who charge them.
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Ade, Uttamber, Padle, Anjarle, Murdi and Kelsi are among the villages that still don-t have electricity. Ade, with a population of 3,500 people living in 350 houses, is one of the worst affected villages in the district, and 32 km away is Dapoli where MSEDCL restored the supply last week.
"We go to Dapoli to charge our handsets as the power. It is tiring, but cell phone has become an essential commodity these days. When the cyclone hit, I was in Dapoli with my family. Next morning, a health worker informed me that my house at Ade was damaged," said Dillip Patil, a retired officer from Konkan Agriculture University.
Ade village resident Vijay Wayangankar with his family on Friday
"I left for Ade, but all the roads leading were blocked as huge trees had uprooted and fallen. It took more than a day to clear the roads. Over 5,000 trees had fallen between Dapoli and Ade villages," Patil added.
The residents of Surai near Mhasla Taluka have also been travelling to other villages where power has been restored to charge their phones. "The power is yet to be restored in Surai. We travel several kilometres to a nearby village to charge our phones at shops where the shopkeeper charges -30 per person. It is really shameful," said a woman, who does not wish to be named.
A few others have been charging their handsets in car. Surai villagers said in case of medical emergency, they have to travel to a hospital in Mangaon, which is at least 45 minutes away, as the small government-run clinics are have been damaged.
The destroyed house of Vijay Wayangankar, at Ade village, on Friday
Recalling the natural calamity, Vinaya Wayangankar told mid-day, "We had taken shelter in a temple in our village. We could not even dare to stand near the window as the sound of the cyclonic storm was damn scary. It lasted for nearly 30 minutes, and I thought I will die." Her family-s 250 betel nut and 60 coconut trees were damaged in the cyclone.
Her father Vijay said he has been having stomach issues as he has been getting chapatis. "The wheat cannot be ground as there is no power supply. I have been eating rice since the cyclone and it-s constipated me. I am restless most of the days," added Vijay, a retired executive at Agriculture University in Konkan.
"There is no drinking water in the village. My daughter has to walk several kilometres to fetch water from a well. But it does not taste good.
The municipality has just started sending tanker to our village, but the demand for drinking water remains unfulfilled as the supply is insufficient," said Vijay.
He added, "The Primary Health Centre is 4 km away from, but I cannot walk to consult a doctors. The PHC-s vehicle doesn-t work and private vehicles are demanding R400 in this crisis. I cannot afford so much."
Another villager, Pritam Murudkar, said the electricity officials have been working in the area and over two dozen youth from the village are assisting them to restore the supply. "The ATM machine in our village is not functioning as there is no power. We cannot withdraw money to repair our damaged houses. It is rainy season and all my belongings are getting damaged. The government must do something to give us immediate relief," Murudkar added.
Sanchita Mahadik, a health worker from Ade, said, "Our houses haven-t been fixed yet. One needs a trained worker to repair the damages, but they all already have so much on their hands, fixing other houses in the village."
The disaster management team of Kaneri Math, Kolhapur, said they have been extending full help to the villages that have suffered heavy damage in the cyclone. Kaneri Math conducted a survey and started working on the houses that were badly damaged and are first helping those who cannot afford to fix it themselves.
"The government bodies are working round the clock. We also first cleared the roads so that the relief material can reach the needy immediately. We have enough manpower, relief materials like clay roof tiles, steel pipes, earth excavating machines, etc. Our teams are working in nearly 10 locations simultaneously from Murud to Kelsi villages. Our priority is to get their houses repaired as soon as possible," said Kada Siddheshwar Swami, who was monitoring the relief work at Ade.
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