Homeless due to Ganga erosion, families in Malda demand ‘Bangla Awas Yojana’ houses

Malda: Biting cold conditions coupled with strong northerly winds have made survival almost impossible for families rendered homeless by Ganga erosion in Manikchak’s Bhutni area of Malda district. Residents of Kalutantola and Basantatola, who have been living for months in makeshift shelters on river embankments, staged a protest on Wednesday demanding immediate rehabilitation and houses under the ‘Bangla Awas Yojana.’

With small children and elderly family members, the erosion-affected people have been staying under tarpaulin sheets and tin roofs on the riverbank. “In this freezing cold, living on the embankment with children is inhuman. We are forced to live like cattle for months, with no one coming forward to help us,” said Birbal Mahato, one of the protesters during the sit-in.

Frustrated by what they described as administrative apathy, the displaced families marched to the Manikchak Block Development Officer’s office and sat on a demonstration demanding rehabilitation, land pattas and houses. The protesters alleged that during floods, political leaders had promised rehabilitation and homes under the Bangla Awas Yojana, but those assurances are yet to be fulfilled. “There has been no response from the administration. That is why we are compelled to come to the BDO office,” Angad Mahato said, warning that if their demands are not met, they would set up temporary shelters within the BDO office premises itself. The issue has also triggered a political slugfest. BJP’s South Malda district general secretary Gour Chandra Mondal accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of neglecting the people of Bhutni. “The Trinamool government will do nothing for the erosion-hit people. If they want work to be done, this government must be changed,” he alleged.

However, the Trinamool Congress rejected the allegations. Manikchak Panchayat Samiti president Pinki Mondal said the state government has already taken initiatives to provide land pattas and houses to the homeless affected by Ganga erosion. “Administrative processes are underway.

In the coming days, the helpless families will receive pattas and Bangla Awas Yojana houses,” she asserted. Meanwhile, the erosion-hit families continue to wait for immediate relief as winter tightens its grip on the district.