Labourer's mud house collapses in Sirsa village

It has been raining continuously in Sirsa district. Kutcha (mud) houses in Panniwala Mota village of the district have become unsafe due to rain. On Wednesday night, a labourer’s house collapsed. A major tragedy was averted when his 11-year-old daughter, Saloni, ran out moments before the room caved in. Within seconds, the entire room turned to a rubble, burying household items, including cots, a gas cylinder and stored grains.

Jagdish Kumar, the house owner and a daily wage labourer, said his family of five was sitting in the courtyard when the incident happened. The room that collapsed was one of the two he owned in the mud house. The other brick-built room was also on verge of collapse as cracks appeared on it after rain.

Neighbours rushed to help the family, salvaging some grains and belongings from the debris. Gram Sachiv Monika confirmed that 40 homes in the village, possibly including Jagdish’s, were surveyed under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana, and reports sent to the department concerned. “Jagdish is financially weak. We will send a report to the administration to ensure he gets assistance,” said Pradeep Beniwal, village sarpanch representative.