DEHRADUN: Residents of flood-hit villages near Uttarakhand’s Guptkashi have been left with no option but to live in their damaged houses or temporary one room huts in the biting cold.
Erratic power supply has made matters worse with cuts lasting five-six hours. "The state government gave me meager financial assistance of Rs 15,000 for the house repair. Hence, I could not fully repair my house," said Nathe Singh, a resident of Semi village.
"I have to live in the premises with cracks wide open everywhere on the walls and roofs." He added he does not have money to buy a heater and depends on wood to keep his house warm.
Another resident, Radhe Lal, said his house was damaged and Rs 25,000 compensation was not good enough. "Some NGO people have provided me with tin sheets with which I have erected a small hut, where my entire family of nine members is living," he said. "It is quite miserable as the tin-sheets get unbearably cold at night."