Hope and despair at the homes of workers trapped in Uttarakhand avalanche
The Hindu
Tragic avalanche hits BRO workers in Uttarakhand, families anxiously await news of survival, highlighting the human impact of disasters.
Vijay Kumar, 20, from Prataptand village of Vaishali district in Bihar is one of the 55 workers who were present at the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) project site at Mana in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district when an avalanche hit the site at 5 a.m. on Friday. Mr Kumar, the youngest of five siblings, left home last year in search of work so that he could share the burden of his father, a farmer facing an agricultural crisis.
The family spoke to Vijay Kumar the last time on Thursday night when he told them about the approval for leave he had obtained.
Also read | Chamoli avalanche: Uttarakhand CM Dhami conducts aerial survey of affected areas
“He got the train reservation done for March 2. His leave for Holi was approved only a day before. He was happy about returning home for the festival but now we have no idea whether we will ever be able to see his face or not,” said Sanjay Kumar, the elder brother of Vijay.
Back home, his mother is inconsolable and has not eaten anything since news about the avalanche broke out. The family, comprising mostly daily wagers, are collecting money to get a taxi to travel to Chamoli as they are not able to get any information of his survival.
The family of Naresh Rajat, another worker at the BRO site, lives a few metres from Mr. Kumar’s place in the Prataptand village. Father of three, Mr. Rajat is the sole earning member of the family of six.
His wife Pinky Kumari has faith that her husband is alive and will soon come back home.
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