NRI aid for shelterless, Dalit family of village

Tribune News Service

Kapurthala, September 29

There has been a big reprieve from foreign lands for the poor Dalit family at Bhawanipur village on Goindwal Road that had gone shelterless after its house had collapsed in a storm last month.

After Jalandhar Tribune highlighted the family’s plight on August 19, NGOs Teach International and Dr Ambedkar NRI Association based in the US have come forward for their help.

After the aid reached Bhupinder Kaur and her three children a few weeks ago, the re-construction work has begun on the 1.5-marla plot. The demolished room, along with a new bathroom, is being reconstructed, with the walls completed and roof work to be done in a few days.

Philanthropist Bachchu Lal, president of the Dr Ambedkar NRI Association, said on phone from the USA that he had got sent a draft of Rs 45,000 through his acquaintance earlier to Bhupinder Kaur and would sent the second installment of Rs 35,000 in a day or two. Her home walls are almost complete and soon, she would get done her work.

Ever since the incident, the family is forced to live under a tarpaulin put up in the verandah of their neighbours. Bhupinder Kaur (46), a widow, her two daughters Prabhjot Kaur (22) and Geeta (19), and son Jodha Singh (17) have been forced to camp like this with their household items. The family, that has a meagre source of income from her occupation as a part-time cook, did not have enough money to either pay for rent anywhere else or start re-construction.

Bhupinder’s husband used to run a small tea shop, but had died of cancer eight years ago. Her two daughters have been studying at Hindu Kanya College and her son is in class XI. She had been somehow managing their fee expenditure by working as a part-time cook. Politicians had given her only plain assurances but no government help came for her.