“Major political parties are playing games with the marginalised people.”
Rahu said the then PML-N government in Punjab, led by Nawaz Sharif, took initiative and built the completed homes in village Golo Mandhro, which are still there, out of any use. But, when his government was forced out, it should have been the responsibility of successive governments to continue the project in the interest of the people.
When contacted, PPP leaders passed the buck on their rivals.
The other village, Noor Muhammad Chalko, was also identified to be built as a model village with Rs100,000 compensation for each victim to the deserving families. But, the successive governments have broken the record of breaching promises and the people are still waiting to see the development. Especially, the case of established Golo Mandhro is enough for opening eyes of the governments as not a single family has been allowed to occupy the well-built home.
After the cyclone, vast tracts of lands have either been lost to sea, or have become saline due to encroaching by high tides. More than 30 of Dehs (local units of land) with flourishing villages are considered lost. Dozens of villages situated in those areas were uprooted and the villagers had to leave the place. A large number of villages near the coast still face threats of inundation.
The team visited the government’s housing scheme in the village Golo Mandhiro, which’s been vacant since the date of construction, and it is partially damaged.
It was observed that the community is not interested to live in these houses.
Local people, on the cyclone’s losses, said at least 15,000 houses were damaged by the stormy winds and high tides, pushing people to shift their families on different directions and stay there for several days.
Around 350 schools in scattered coastal villages were destroyed, putting psychological effects on children, their parents and teachers, the activists said.
Several fishermen are still missing; some of them are assumed to have been languishing in Indian jails.
The children at that time are now grown up with horrible memories, while new comers in these schools have a tale they listen from their mothers and grandmothers.
The coastal area has been declared prone to disaster, and the people frequently receive warning calls from the government authorities in case of developing cyclones, tsunamis and floods time to time.
The people could not understand why the authorities have neglected them. Golo Mandhro village mirrors this apathy.