State aid a godsend for many in Hyderabad
Many who received assistance express their gratitude
Hyderabad: From Lalapet to Brahmanwadi to MS Maqta, the scenes of despair were the same. People with a forlorn look in their eyes, sitting and staring at the trail of destruction left by last week’s heavy downpour even as on one side, efforts were on to pull back their lives on track.
The only bright spot for these people over the last one week was that when they were looking at all their savings and means of livelihood being submerged, the State government acted swiftly, and has already ensured that most of them, including the 50 odd women, all with the same name of Hussain Bee in Balloon Basti of Lalapet, got the interim relief of Rs 10,000.
“I was struggling to borrow money to buy at least a few tarpaulin sheets to rebuild my hut. That is when I got the Rs 10,000. The relief is beyond words,” said Noor Bee of Balloon Basti, while one of the namesakes standing next to her was relieved but not happy. “We want the government to come up with a permanent solution instead of temporary ones,” she said.
For Sathamma in Brahmanwadi, who irons clothes for a living, the assistance has set in motion her family’s return to normal life. “We lost everything in our house, including the TV, refrigerator and our clothes too. Rs 10,000 might not cover everything, but it will help us stay afloat more so because I haven’t been able to go to work in the last 10 day,” she said.
For Shaik Bee of Lalapet too, after not being able to go to work, the Rs 10,000 aid came as a god-send. “I could buy a few essentials and also some stock of balloons to sell during the festival season,” she said.
“Our house owner had taken Rs 5,000 citing repairs to the house. That put us in a spot because we had lost everything. It is then that we got the help from the State government. It will at least save us from hunger till things are better,” said Ambika, a homemaker from Brahmanwadi.
“We were already in a financial crisis due to the lockdown,” said Lakshmi of the same locality, who eked out a livelihood as a cook. “The rains shattered our lives with three feet of water even in our bedroom. Since I’m unable to go to work now, the Rs 10,000 will help us tide over the immediate crisis till more help comes,” she added.
Abdul Masih’s plans of tackling the financial setback after the lockdown with some business as a tailor during Dasara have gone kaput.
“We thought we could earn something during Dasara by stitching new clothes and I had bought material in advance. The rains took away everything from us, including my sewing machine, and we had to sleep in a relative’s place for three days. This money will help me repair it and start working again,” he said.
“I was working as an aayah and was struggling to give my daughters food since every essential item in the house has been damaged. Vessels, clothes, everything was covered in mud. My gratitude for the government for this timely help is immense,” said Lakshmi of Brahmanwadi.
Like Masih, Anitha, also a tailor in Brahmanwadi, said all the clothes she had stitched and kept to sell during the festive season were washed away in the floods. “There have been inundations earlier too, but never of this kind. We have to start from scratch again, and there, this money is our first stepping stone,” she stated.
“The words from the Minister himself, and the way he reassured us with the money and the promise that the government would stand with us has helped a lot, especially at a time when we have lost everything,” said Malan Begum, of MS Maqtha, who was among those who received the assistance from Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao.
“There was water stagnating in our house for several days after the rains and we had to sleep in our relatives’ homes. All the grains and essentials we bought in the beginning of this month, all our belongings everything is damaged. We thank the State government for this quick help,” said Shahenaz Begum, a homemaker in MS Maqta.
In Maqtha, according to senior citizens Abdul Rahim and Syed Azhar, the floods came as a last nail for many who were in extreme financial distress due to the lockdown.
“Many of us were jobless since the lockdown, and the floods had only worsened the situation. The financial assistance will help us buy essential things and start rebuilding our lives back,” they said.
“We on behalf of all the poor people in MS Maqta thank Minister KT Rama Rao from our heart for taking the initiative to support us,” added Azhar.
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