Flood-affected villagers in Seraj area continue to live in distress

Over four months after the devastating rain struck Daizy village under the Seraj region of Mandi district on June 30 this year, the victims continue to live in distress, awaiting rehabilitation and support from the state government.

The calamity, which struck with ferocious intensity, claimed 11 lives and left 47 families homeless after their houses were either partially or completely destroyed. The flashflood also swept away 204 goats, 11 cows, and a dog, leaving behind haunting memories and visible scars of destruction across the village.

While road connectivity has finally been restored to the village — which remained cut off for weeks after the disaster — residents say the relief and rehabilitation process has been painfully slow and inadequate.

Tej Singh, one of the affected residents, said his house was “almost damaged and rendered unfit for living”, yet revenue officials marked it as only partially damaged.

“I received merely Rs 5,000 as immediate relief, and I am still waiting for rehabilitation,” he said, expressing frustration over what he termed as a bureaucratic oversight that has left his family without a proper home.

Similarly, Sher Singh, who completely lost his house, received Rs 1.30 lakh as compensation to rebuild it. However, he now faces another challenge — lack of land.

“I have no land to construct my new house. I request the government to allot me a small piece of land at a safe location so that I can start rebuilding my life,” he appealed.

Landless families left out of financial assistance

For several others, the situation is even more grim. Khube Ram, another victim, said that because his house was found to have been built on the government land, he was denied any financial assistance for reconstruction.

“Now, I am landless. I urge Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to look into our plight and provide land and financial help so that my family can live safely,” he said.

According to Monika Thakur, pradhan of gram panchayat Pakhrair, at least nine families who lost their homes were denied aid because their houses were built on government land. Among these are one of worst affected Mukesh Kumar, who lost his entire family, including his parents two young children and wife in the disaster.

“These nine families are facing a double tragedy — first losing their homes, and then being declared ineligible for assistance. The government must rehabilitate them at a safe location,” she urged.

Thakur also highlighted another major issue — the mis-classification of joint properties.

“In several cases, families who lived separately were shown as joint property holders by revenue officials. The government treated them as a single case and divided the relief amount among multiple families. This is unjust and insufficient to rebuild even one house,” she said, calling for the government to reconsider such cases individually.

Some efforts underway, but concerns persist

Bheem Sen, who also lost his house, has begun reconstruction work with the government’s aid of Rs 1.30 lakh. However, he remains worried about future disasters.

“A small water stream flows close to my new house. I request the government to construct a protection wall so that we don’t face the same tragedy again,” he said.

Villagers seek personal intervention of CM

While the state government has initiated partial relief measures, affected families in Daizy village continue to live in uncertainty — either in temporary shelters or with relatives. With winter approaching, their demand for permanent rehabilitation, land allotment and adequate compensation grows more urgent.

Residents have appealed to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to intervene and ensure that no family is left behind due to technicalities in land ownership or flawed assessments.