Nine kilometres from Kolkata lies the Belgachia Vagar area, (garbage dumping ground), in Howrah district, resembling an earthquake-ravaged zone.
Cracked roads and over 100 collapsed houses have left residents, including women and children, stranded on the streets with their belongings, and without access to food, water, or electricity for the past four days.
A significant land subsidence took place in the area on Thursday morning, damaging critical infrastructure, including a 1-km-long water pipeline, crucial for the water supply in the region. The rupture led to an acute water shortage in several wards of Howrah Municipal Corporation, affecting thousands of residents, sources said.
Power supply has also been affected as several electricity poles have either collapsed or are at risk of falling. A disaster response team has been kept on standby for assistance.
According to the residents of Belgachia Vagar, there was a major road cave-in on Thursday that triggered a landslide at the nearby garbage dump, due to which the water pipeline in the area burst. This led to widespread cracks in multiple houses, including the local anganwadi centre.
Residents,who are either ragpickers or engaged in odd jobs and are struggling to secure rental homes, claimed that nearly 100 houses have been damaged or partially damaged due to the land subsidence.
Quoting officials, the PTI reported, that the administration has relocated 350 residents from 18 severely damaged houses to a local school for temporary shelter.
Gauri Debi, a 35-year-old resident while speaking with The Indian Express said, “I have been living here for years. Suddenly on Thursday we felt the area around us rise and everything around us collapsed, we ran out off the house. Today morning the entire house collapsed, we were unable to bring out anything. Where will we go now?”
Meanwhile, a 16-year-old girl who recently appeared for her Madhyamik exams, is heartbroken as her books remain trapped inside her damaged home. “I want nothing else from the chief minister. I just want a roof over our head for my family, food and water. Where is everyone now,” Monisha Shaw said.
Unable to enter inside her partly collapsed house 43-year-old Lakshmi Paswan said, “I have a small shop on the roadside that collapsed, it was our only source of income. That is not there anymore and now our house has also collapsed, partly. For decades, we have been living here, now where will I go with my family.”
Recalling the Thursday incident, she said, “Suddenly, the ground around her began to rise, it was very scary.”
Ajay Paswan, 41, stands anxiously alongside his son, his face etched with worry. Sharing his plight he said: “We are daily wage earners, and now this has caused more worries. I am unable to go out to earn for my family now. I have a daughter and two son’s, the younger son is 9-year-old, and my wife is sitting with them outside. Yesterday, it was raining and today it is sunny — we are braving everything. The leaders are visiting us, but no aid till now.”
“Before elections they will come with folded hands, seeking votes. Now where are they? They have arranged for us to stay in schools, we go there at night, but that is not a permanent solution. Let them give us a house,” another resident Poonam Paswan said.
State minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) central Howrah MLA Arup Roy on Saturday visited the site to assess the damage and reassure the residents. “The situation is sad, but this is a natural disaster…Many houses have been destroyed, affected families are being relocated. We are also providing food,” he said.
“Experts are being consulted to address the issue. Efforts are underway to restore essential services,” Roy further said.
Speaking to mediapersons TMC MLA Gautam Chowdhury on Sunday said, “We are trying our best and will try to facilitate water supply by today evening.”
On Sunday, BJP leader Rudranil Ghosh who met the aggrieved told mediapersons, “We have made camps for people and are trying our best. TMC counts them as voters and not humans. Firhad Hakim had said that a Japanese company will be brought in, where is that? There is no councillor here, no caretaker, no problems have been addressed. There are several allegations against Arup Roy. They (TMC) are only using them as voters. Over 100 houses damaged, why should they be homeless? They (TMC) have to give them a reply. I am the son of Howrah. Why are councillor elections not being done? Someone is going to Oxford for a lecture about these people. We are worried for them. We are arranging food. Police are not for people.”
Meanwhile, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and nearby civic bodies have deployed water tankers and were distributing water pouches among the affected people.
“KMC has already begun work to restore the pipeline, and water supply will be restored by Monday at the latest,” PTI quoted a civic body official of Kolkata.
However, the residents complained that there were long queues and inadequate water supply.
— with PTI