Fire leaves family homeless
Amar Singh, a resident of Maniyara village, 30 km from Palampur, has been struggling for financial assistance after his house was destroyed in a fire on February 2. Despite visiting several government offices, he has received no relief. His family of five has been forced to spend nights in the open amid biting cold.
The Tribune team visited Maniyara village and found the family in distress. Amar Singh tearfully shared that they lost everything in the fire, including school books, utensils, and clothes. The local panchayat pradhan confirmed that the incident was reported to the SDM and tehsildar on the same day. However, even after 10 days, the state government has not provided any assistance.
According to the state’s relief manual, an immediate financial aid of Rs 10,000 should have been given on the spot, with the remaining amount to be provided after the loss assessment. The local patwari has already submitted the damage report, but no funds have been released. The tehsildar of Bhawarna visited the victims but only provided a plastic sheet to cover the burnt house—on a returnable basis.
Meanwhile, a local NGO, Him Jan Kalyan Sanstha, led by Parveen Sharma, stepped in to provide Rs 11,000 to the affected family. However, this is insufficient to rebuild their home. The local MLA has been informed, but he has yet to visit the family.
Amar Singh has now appealed to the Chief Minister for immediate financial aid to help him reconstruct his house. Local residents have also urged authorities to take swift action, criticizing the government’s inaction despite clear guidelines on disaster relief.
