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29th Sep 2018 09:09:PM State
ES Reporter
ITANAGAR, Sep 29: “I should have died along with my husband. How will I live without him now and where will I go? God take me too as I can't live with this excruciating pain," these heart-wrenching words were from 56-year old Taring Manha, a victim of recent floods and now confined to a bed in the female ward at Tomo Riba institute of Medical Sciences (TRIHMS).
The state government has recently announced ex-gratia of Rs. 4 lakh as compensation for those affected and killed in the September 12 devastating flood, but it's shocking to learn that the promised help has not reached all victims and Manha is one among them.
Manha got her leg bone severely broken in the floods and is being advised by doctors to go through three major surgeries.
A sweeper of Itanagar Municipal Council (IMC), Manha, a native of Palin, Kra Daadi was married to Chetri Bahadur. The couple moved to Donyi Polo Colony, Itanagar where they constructed a house in a small plot of land provided by a relative which on the day of flood was totally swept away.
The body of Chetri was found in Dikrong River, a day after being carried away by surging flood waters. She breaks down often as she recalls the terrible morning when she woke up to the sight of a heavy surge of floodwater mixed with tree branches, rocks, boulders ravaging her home.
Each day, she said, was a struggle to get through as memories of her husband flood her mind.
According to Manha, it was around 4 am in the morning when a call for help from the landlord to relocate the items in her shop woke them up.
“I and my husband rushed to her shop and while evacuating, a strong wave of flood waters hit us and took us away in its torrent,” she recalls.
“I was holding my husband’s hand when flood water struck us, but soon lost grip of him amid fast-moving water and only came to senses about 2 miles away. The water was flowing with full rage, but I somehow managed to crawl out of the water,” she adds. The horrendous flood took away everything,” she says haltingly.
Manha was rescued by the landowner with a shattered bone and flesh clinging on her right leg, who then brought her to RK Mission Hospital from where swhe was referred to TRIHMS where doctors put in a rod and a plate in place of bone.
“Already two surgeries were performed to save her rapidly decomposing flesh. Her will to live is fading each passing day, and she murmurs in her sleep every night pleading God to take her where her husband is,” her attendant, Taring Yami, a peon in PWD, told this reporter.
Yami said, “it is a miracle that Manha is alive even after even excreting sand and pebbles for two weeks. Being a woman I can feel the pain, but I was totally helpless.”
Moreover, the searing physical pain and post-disaster trauma of poor Manha got further compounded after doctors suggested three more major surgeries which will cost more than Rs. 4 lakh.
According to Yami, except a contribution of Rs.15,000 from IMC, nobody from the district administration has either contacted her or visited her in the hospital. Even they haven't paid the Rs. 4 lakh compensation announced for her late husband, Yami added.
As compensation is a fundamental right of a victim, she appealed to the state government to pay the amount immediately and bear the expenses for Manha’s operation and help her move on.
Meanwhile, when contacted, DDMO Moromi Dodum Sonam said that the department was awaiting the survey reports on losses from the district and can release the ex-gratia and compensation only after fully examining it.
“The lists of beneficiaries will be verified by the state government and it will make recommendations on who should receive benefits before compensation amounts are handed over,” she added.
When asked how much time it will take to release the money, the DDMO said that she has no idea when the process will be completed. She also informed that the deceased’s family has to apply with relevant documents with succession certificate which will take at least 45 days to get. Then it has to be submitted to the District Disaster Management office at Vivek Vihar, Itanagar to avail compensation.
“No application was received from Manha till today,” she added. Thus it seems that it will be a long and painful wait for Manha to get the promised compensation.
Kenter Joya Riba
(Managing Editor)She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313
