Manasa (Neemuch): After failing to get compensation for their damaged property due to floods this year, as many 53 families from Meriyakhedi Dhani village sat on dharna in front of Manasa sub-divisional magistrate’s office.
Protesting villagers claimed that hundreds of families from Rampura, Molki, Burawan, Devran, Rajpura lost their properties in flood, but they were yet to get any compensation from the government. Adding insult to their injuries, several non-eligible families who did not face any damage in the flood got compensation from the government.
Notably, on September 23 state chief minister Kamal Nath had announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh to each family who lost their properties in the flood as well as 50-kg ration every month for next six months.
However, local administration distributed between Rs 3,000 to 5000 to the affected families from Devran and Rampura villages. Families claimed that even five months after the flood, people here running from pillar to post to get their compensations.
Upset over the administration’s lackadaisical attitude, villagers finally decided to raise their voice and sat on a protest in front of the SDM office.
Villagers said that either government must fulfil their promises or give them poison so that they would satiate their hunger. Villagers added that not only were they not getting compensation, the electricity department was still sending power bills even after they had shifted from the village after losing the properties. Villagers accused local administration of step-motherly treatment and threatened to boycott elections in future if their demasds were not met.
When contacted sub-divisional magistrate SR Solanki said that the government had directed them to compensate people based on damage. SDM added that local administration shortlisted 23 families and they will get Rs 35,000 each.
Solanki further said that patwari Shivangi Pachori who was posted at Devran was suspended for dereliction in duty. Kotwar Fakir Mohammed was also suspended for furnishing false information to get compensation.
After getting government nod, local administration will starts recovery from the families who got compensation money furnishing false details.
As soon as news of protest spread on the social media, BJP MLA Madhav Maru rushed to the spot and had a talk with the protesting families.
Taking a dig at the government and the local administration, Maru accused them of selective while distributing compensation amount to the flood-affected people. Questioning the local administration, Maru said that if the administration were following the guideline set by the government to compensate the people, then how could so many be left behind.