Gujarat: Families in Rajula left with homes with out roof, however fixing a expensive affair

Hari Dhundharva and his spouse Sonal sat on the doorway of their house in Bidi Kamdar space on Savarkundla Bypass Road in coastal Rajula city of Amreli on Wednesday. With the roof of their house having been blown away by cyclone Tauktae round 36 hours in the past, the afternoon solar had left the couple perspiring profusely. In the entrance yard of their house had been unfold garments and mattresses, all drenched within the rain which accompanied the cyclone when it made landfall close to Una in Gir Somnath.
Despite the distress caused by the cyclone, which had hit Rajula with wind velocity in extra of 150 km per hour, the couple had been seemingly content material.
“Only five of around three dozen cement-fibre sheets which formed the roof of our home have been spared by the storm. We placed one of them as roof of our kitchen, the other to shade our paniyaru (place to keep drinking water),” 35-year-old Hari who’s an informal labourer, says.
The couple says they sought refuge at Sonal’s uncle who has a pucca home in different a part of the city. “Police had come to our locality on Monday morning asking us to move to a safer place. But we ignored their warning believing this cyclone will also pass like Vayu had done last year. But at around 7 pm, the wind became menacingly strong and we went my uncle’s home,” says Sonal.
The couple returned at midday on Tuesday, solely to seek out that their home and belongings had been broken. “But I had no time to assess my loss as winds were still strong and it was raining as well. We were hungry too but all our firewood was wet. Eventually, we went to Sonal’s brother Gopal’s home, who has a cooking gas cylinder and had our lunch there,” Hari recounts.
The solely reduction, the couple says, is {that a} valve of water provide line close to their house continues to leak water which they’re fetching in pots. “Due to coronavirus outbreak, we were not getting much work. So, I’m left with saving of around Rs15,000. Fixing a new roof would coast at least Rs 30,000. But I can’t spend everything for the roof as one also needs money to keep the kitchen stocked,” he says.
On the opposite facet of the street, Jeetu Chauhan (40), an informal labour rocked cradle of her one-year-old granddaughter Vidya amid particles of their broken house. After the cyclonic wind began rocking their roof, Jeetu and her seven relations had sought shelter in a pucca kitchen of their neighbour Mansinh Gujariya at round 12 am on Tuesday. “We braved the storm without any injuries but the next morning, our ration was wet and there was nothing left to eat. Eventually, we went to Udyog Bharati school for food,” says Jeetu, who’s an informal labourer.
A number of metres up the hill, Shantu Shiyal tried laborious to maintain her six-weeks-old daughter Guddi asleep by rocking the toddler’s cradle whereas holding her elder daughter Sheetal (18 months outdated) in her arms amid particles of their house flattened by the cyclone.
Shantu’s father-in-law bought a tarpaulin sheet for Rs 600 on Tuesday morning to supply shade to the 2 kids. “Sheets of roof were flying in every direction as the storm hit. We managed to reach a truck abandoned on the road and sat in its cabin throughout that night,” Shantu’s mother-in-law Jamna says.
Bidi Kamdar has predominantly kuccha homes having tiled and cement-fibre sheets roofs. Almost every such home right here has suffered damages whereas a number of have been destroyed. “But no one from the government has turned up so far though politicians camp here for weeks during election time,” Narsinh Gujariya, a shopkeeper who’s amongst a handful to have pucca homes within the space says.
At Dev Enterprise, a ironmongery shop on Jafrabad bypass street, individuals crowded its proprietor Kaushik Joshi for putting their orders to buy metal and cement-fibre sheets.

One of them was Vijay Dobariya (36), a farmer from Barpatoli village of Rajula taluka. He provided advance cost to Joshi for seven corrugated metal sheets. But the dealer turned it down.
“I’ll accept payment only after sheets are loaded on your vehicle… Everyone needs a few sheets. What if I run out of stock after accepting advance,” the dealer tells Dobariya.
But the farmer, whose cattle-shed was broken by the cyclone, says it will likely be not possible to revive whole construction. “The roof had cost me Rs 80,000 when I constructed it four years ago. But now, the trader is quoting Rs 3,000 the price of one sheet against Rs1,600 I had paid four years ago,” stated the 15-bigha farmer.

Meanwhile, labourers stored on loading rubble of cement-fibre sheets from the shop in a tractor-trolley. The retailer’s whole roof was blown away.
The city continued to be with out energy for the third consecutive day Wednesday. Trees and electrical polls felled by the cyclone had been cleared from roads and streets, thus restoring vehicular visitors.