From mansion to tent: Plight of a flood-hit family

Once occupants of a palatial house in Ghonewal village, a family is now compelled to take shelter under a tarpaulin sheet as the house — which the family constructed with money saved by a member after working in Italy for nine years — was rendered unliveable overnight.

The Ravi swelling rendered the entire neighbourhood abandoned, affecting thousands of lives.

As Ajaypal Singh, who had earned the funds in Italy to build the house, attempted to enter his residence, he was stopped by fellow villagers.

His family took nine years to construct the house, but lived in it only for a year, he said, claiming that about Rs 2.5 crore was spent to construct the three-storey building.

Heartbroken, his mother pointed to the tarpaulin sheet that had been serving as their makeshift shelter.

She vividly remembered last Wednesday morning, when floodwater entered the house after Dhussi Bundh was breached. The next day, the house collapsed.

She said her NRI son was staying with the family when the tragedy struck. At present, he was staying with some relatives on account of his ill health. The swelling of the Ravi has caused immense damage in the area. Catastrophic effects are visible across the village, with almost all houses affected, and muck and mud overtaking the narrow streets.