THREE DAYS after components of a hillock got here crashing down amid heavy rain on a village in Raigad’s Mahad taluka, killing not less than 53 individuals eventually rely, officers, elected representatives and kin of the useless are gazing a choice that might hang-out them for the remainder of their lives: go away the useless underneath the particles, carry out their final rites on the catastrophe web site.
In line with officers, 11 our bodies have been recovered from Taliye village on Sunday, and 31 extra are nonetheless feared buried underneath the particles. “The our bodies shouldn’t be disturbed now, they need to be declared useless,” mentioned Kishor Pol, an area resident who misplaced his mother and father to the landslide.
“For the reason that our bodies have decomposed, it’s very troublesome to drag them out. It’s not good. The kin will solely undergo extra ache and grief after seeing this and we don’t want the useless to be disturbed. We held a gathering to debate this on Sunday afternoon, and all of the kin of these useless have reached a consensus,” Sampat Chandekar, the sarpanch, mentioned.
“It has been three days now and the our bodies have began decomposing. The useless ought to have dignity. The villagers and kin of these lacking need to cease the operation and declare them useless, and carry out their final rites on the accident web site,” Bharatshet Gogavale, the Shiv Sena MLA from Mahad, mentioned.
“The sarpanch and I’ve spoken to the villagers and all them have the identical demand. Nobody has an objection. We now have conveyed this to the District Collector and mentioned the right way to go about it. Even the rescue groups really feel there isn’t a hope of discovering any survivors,” Gogavale mentioned.
A rescue employee with an toddler in Kolhapur, Saturday. (Specific photograph)
The kin, nevertheless, are involved in regards to the paperwork wanted, and the compensation course of, if the our bodies are left underneath the particles. “The administration ought to be sure that the required paperwork is completed and demise certificates supplied,” Pol mentioned.
Officers mentioned it’s not a simple resolution for the district administration.
“Native residents and kin of victims are demanding that the administration name off the operation and declare these lacking as useless. Nonetheless, the district’s catastrophe administration staff is anticipated to hold out the operation until the final lacking particular person is discovered. There’s a chance of victims being discovered alive even after just a few days,” District Collector Nidhi Chowdhary mentioned.
“I attempted to clarify that we’re anticipated to maintain the operation on until the final lacking particular person is discovered and it’s our coverage. However they’ve conveyed that they need the operation to be known as off. We don’t need to disrespect the villager’s needs and harm their feelings,” Chowdhary mentioned.
On Sunday night, the difficulty was mentioned throughout a gathering of the MLA, District Collector, groups of NDRF, SDRF and TDRF, and some Taliye residents. It was determined that the operation could be known as off formally after the consent of each lacking particular person’s member of the family is formally obtained — and a proper communication issued by the rescue groups on calling off the operation and declaring all these lacking as useless.
MLA Gogavale mentioned one other assembly could be held Monday morning the place consent letters from the kin can be handed over. “Even when a single member of the family objects, the operation will proceed,” the District Collector mentioned.
In the meantime, survivors of the landslide recalled the terrifying moments of Thursday night.
The Sanas household of 14 escaped “simply in time”. Dashrath Sanas mentioned he feared that an accident was about to happen when he first noticed “soil from the hill come sliding down”.
“It was uncommon. I had a nasty feeling and instructed my household to go away the home. Then, I went all the way down to warn the villagers, a lot of whom had gathered at one spot with their belongings. By the point I reached them, the land got here sliding down. I ran for my life and in some way survived,” mentioned Dashrath, whose home was severely broken.
Pratibha Kondalkar mentioned that she, her daughter and husband had a “fortunate escape” after the sliding mud stopped in need of their home. “However my in-laws got here underneath the particles as they have been attempting to go away the village. Their our bodies have been recovered,” she mentioned.
“A couple of individuals had began alerting the others that mud was sliding down. My husband went out to save lots of one other particular person and requested us to go away the home. It was then {that a} massive a part of the hillock got here crashing down,” Kondalkar mentioned.
Swapnil Shirawale, 26, survived after he was pulled out of the particles. However he misplaced each his legs.