'Will build single bedroom houses with a kitchen; there will be community toilets & drainage and electrification will be taken care of'
Darjeeling: Siliguri Municipal Corporation Mayor Gautam Deb visited Khudiram Colony, Ward number 18, where a fire had destroyed more than 40 houses on Saturday night. The gutted houses will be rebuilt.
A devastating fire had gutted more than 40 houses. More than 300 people have been affected by the fire. They have been rehabilitated in a community hall.
The Mayor was out of station when the fire incident took place. After returning, he visited the site and also met the families who have lost their homes. The families told them of their problems and difficulties.
Later, the Mayor-in-Council met at the Corporation to discuss the plight of the victims. "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants the victims to be rehabilitated at the earliest and has asked me to oversee this. We will build single bedroom houses with a kitchen for the families whose houses were gutted. There will be community toilets. We will take care of drainage and electrification also," stated Deb.
Account payee cheques of Rs 5,000 each will be handed over to the families from the Mayor's Relief Fund. "We have been distributing relief as well and are also arranging for clothes and books for the students whose books were gutted in the fire," stated the Mayor.
JCBs are not being used to clear the debris. "JCBs could have done the task quickly but the victims are still searching the debris for whatever belongings they can salvage. We have deployed additional conservancy staff and they are clearing the debris manually," added Deb.
He stated that many of the victims have complained of loss of important documents in the fire. "Many have lost marksheets, voter cards, self-help group cards and ration cards. We will deal with this individually and arrange for the replacement of these documents," assured the Mayor.