Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (MS)
Bantwal, May 13: Shanthappa Poojary and Hemavathi couple, residents of Nati Tanjalpalke under the limits of Narikombu gram panchayat live in fear as their house is dilapidated.
The couple live in a house that is covered by cement sheet which may fly off to wind during rain. Water seeps inside the house. Moreover, there is a huge mango tree over their house, which may crush them if it falls down.
Most parts of the house have collapsed and tiles are strewn all over the place. Now they are using arecanut branches as support and tarpaulin is put on the roof.
The couple are left with just one room in front of the house. The rest portion of the house is collapsed. Even the walls of the room in which they live may come down anytime. They have built a thatched hut near the house and use it as their kitchen. They do not have children. So both are living a virtually tough life at this advanced age. If they get some daily wage work, they have income. Otherwise, they have nothing to eat.
As the couple are old, they cannot do physical work. Hemavati suffers from Asthma. They were allotted a house under the Basava Vasati scheme in 2016-17 by the gram panchayat. They put foundation and wall of the small house nearby the old house in which they are living now. They had to complete the lintel work if the next instalment of financial aid has to be released by the government. However, as they do not have a single rupee, they are not able to build it further. So the instalment is not yet released.
As they are unable to complete the lintel work of their new house, its work is stalled for the past two years. Now bushes and plants have grown over its foundation and walls. Now the time period of house construction under the promised scheme is over and the couple are concerned about their future.