One year of Dharali tragedy: People struggle to rebuild life, closure eludes many
Satendra Panwar, president of the Dharali Sangharsh Samiti, said the compensation paid to affected families was inadequate
One year after the tragedy struck Dharali village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, survivors are still struggling to rebuild their lives and find closure. The mudslide, which occurred on August 5 last year, resulted in numerous fatalities and extensive damage. Although a scientific panel determined the cause of the disaster to be intense, localized rainfall rather than a glacial lake outburst flood, the residents remain unsatisfied with the compensation and rehabilitation efforts provided by the government.
Jai Bhagwan Panwar, a resident of Dharali, described the devastating impact on his life, stating that his ancestral house, his newly built replacement, his hotel business, and his apple orchard were all destroyed. Panwar expressed disappointment over the inadequate compensation, noting that he received ₹10 lakh for his hotel - the same amount given to individuals whose hotels had only four rooms, despite his loss of a much larger establishment.
Satendra Panwar, president of the Dharali Sangharsh Samiti, criticized the government's compensation as insufficient. He highlighted that families have not received the full amount for house construction, and those who lost land have not been compensated in exchange. Instead, they are being encouraged to build houses on remaining agricultural land or apple orchards in safer locations, which Panwar considers unfair.
The Uttarakhand government has responded by stating that they have invested over ₹16 crore in development and rehabilitation works in Dharali, along with disbursing more than ₹17 crore in financial assistance. They have also spent an additional ₹33 crore on long-term rehabilitation efforts. However, government officials acknowledged that compensation has been released for only a fraction of the deceased and missing individuals, with the remaining families receiving only ₹5 lakh each, regardless of the extent of their losses.
The government is also providing housing assistance to affected families and supporting displaced individuals with rent payments.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
