Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday assured the landslide-affected people of Irshalwadi that they would be permanently rehabilitated at the nearby Chowk Maniwadi village in six months. He promised them that CIDCO would construct their new homes within that time. Shinde was in Irshalwadi to check out the district administration’s temporary living arrangements for the landslide victims. Forty-one families are currently living in 46 containers at Chowk village at the foothills of Irshalgad. The other containers have been converted into an anganwadi, a police post, a small clinic and other such essentials. The villagers told the CM that they were satisfied with the arrangements but would like to be permanently rehabilitated at the earliest.The landslide that struck Irshalwadi on the night of July 19 took a high toll—at least 27 bodies were removed from the debris while 57 others were missing. As the National Disaster Response Force began rescue operations in the inclement weather, Shinde climbed uphill for two and a half hours to reach Ground Zero.
Hampered by rain and difficult terrain on which heavy machinery could not be transported, the rescue operation was called off after five days on the request of the villagers. On the tenth and thirteenth days, the villagers performed the last rites of their relatives as per their customs.“You are part of my own family,” Shinde told the villagers on Tuesday. “I have not spoken to you after that unfortunate incident, and so decided to come here and meet you. We have finalised a location for your permanent rehabilitation, and CIDCO will carry out the construction through its contractors. The officials are confident that they can do it in three to four months, but even if it takes more time, I can assure you that your new homes will be ready within six months.”The CM said the government would provide jobs to those who fit into the requirements of the Navi Mumbai municipal corporation and CIDCO. “We will have to use special rules to do certain things,” he said. “For example, there are provisions for the rehabilitation of earthquake victims, and we will use these provisions to provide jobs. The tribal development department will allocate ₹7.5 lakh each to self-help groups for men and women.”Shinde said his son’s NGO, the Dr Shrikant Shinde Foundation, had taken on the responsibility of educating 22 orphans from Irshalwadi. “Senior citizens, widows and orphans will be paid pension through existing schemes soon,” he said. “I have also directed officials to look into how villagers can continue farming at the resettlement location.” When contacted, Raigad collector Yogesh Mhase said the compensation of ₹500,000 announced by the state and the Centre to the next of kin of the victims had not been disbursed yet. “The money has come to the district administration but since a large number of people are missing, the procedure involves a verification process, which is being done,” he said. “The villagers also told us that the compensation should be given to everyone at one time. It will be disbursed soon.”