Kutcha house collapses amid heavy rain in Nurpur, labourer rendered homeless

“I heard the sound of bricks falling and ran outside in panic. Within seconds, the entire house came crashing down,” says Mango Ram, a poor daily-wage labourer of Jada village in Baruhi gram panchayat of Nurpur. He had a miraculous escape when his dilapidated kutcha house collapsed amid heavy rain during the intervening night of September 1 and 2. Mango Ram, a bachelor and member of Scheduled Castes, was fast asleep when he suddenly heard the sound of walls collapsing. He rushed out of the house sensing imminent danger. Moments later, the entire structure came crashing down, reducing the dwelling to a heap of rubble.

Though Mango Ram, who is covered under the below poverty line (BPL) category, escaped unhurt, his all household goods were buried under the debris. The house collapse left him without a roof over his head and with little means to arrange food or rebuild another home. “I am poor and earn my livelihood through daily labour. I live alone. Now, I don’t have a house and also no means to construct another one,” he said.

The loss of house was a setback for Mango Ram, who had been struggling to construct a pucca house despite his precarious financial condition. According to panchayat up-pradhan Pikan Dhiman, who visited Jada village on Wednesday, Mango Ram is a BPL beneficiary and lives alone. “The first instalment of money under the housing scheme has already been credited to his bank account but because of his extremely weak financial condition, he has not been able to start the construction of the house,” Dhiman said. He urged the district administration to extend all possible assistance to Mango Ram.

The house collapse also raised concerns about Mango Ram’s immediate needs of shelter and food, particularly as the region continues to receive heavy rainfall.

Nurpur SDM Arun Sharma said that a Revenue Department team had been deputed to assess the loss. “The local Patwari has been directed to submit the assessment report by Thursday. As and when the administration receives the report, the entire admissible compensation under the Disaster Relief Fund will be provided to Mango Ram in one go,” he added. The SDM said that the local gram panchayat had also been instructed to temporarily shift Mango Ram to the panchayat bhawan and make food arrangements for him.