A home away from home for affected families
The Hindu
Fifty-eight-year-old Noor Begam, a mother of three, rests herself on a jute mat at the century-old Khaire Jaree Aided Middle School in Melvisharam near Arcot in Ranipet district. She is staying with h
Fifty-eight-year-old Noor Begam, a mother of three, rests herself on a jute mat at the century-old Khaire Jaree Aided Middle School in Melvisharam near Arcot in Ranipet district. She is staying with her neighbours in the school since Friday since water entered their houses on the rear end of the school after a breach in a nearby lake. They never felt they were far away from their homes. Not because of the short distance between the school and their Mangalore tiled houses but their bonding with the school as they did their schooling there years ago.
Tucked between the common market and the Bengaluru Highway (NH 48), the school now houses more than 300 persons, including around 80 children from Melvisharam, a predominately Muslim neighbourhood, since Friday due to the rise of water level in the Palar.
The single-storey school has a big classroom and five small classrooms on its ground floor. Each room is occupied by at least 8-10 families. They were provided with food and tea, thrice a day. On an average, 50 bubble-top water cans were used at the school-turned relief camp every day for the affected persons. Interestingly, the school also functions as a COVID-19 vaccination centre for months taking advantage of online classes. “We will return to our homes even if it is a tile-roof house once water gets drained in the next few days. However, the school (relief camp) helps us to bond with each other as we share everything in common,” said young Mohammed Aslam.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.