the goan I network
MARGAO
It’s been a week since this family from Davorlim lost everything for no fault of theirs “ right from gold ornaments, household items, their clothes, to the very house they resided all these years “ after a fire engulfed the house owing to high voltage on New Year’s day.
Believe it or not, the family is only eligible for a meagre compensation amounting to `5,000 up to `25,000 as per the disaster norms laid down by the district authorities. Shattered by the huge loss reportedly caused by a surge in power voltage, which also affected more than a dozen adjoining residential houses on New Year’s day, the beleaguered Shirodkar family has nowhere to go, with financial assistance not forthcoming from the Power Department nor the government till date.
Power Minister Milind Naik was scheduled to visit the house at Tolleaband-Davorlim on Wednesday evening along with local MLA and Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado. But, Avertano descended at Tolleaband with local ZP member Ulhas Tuemkar and power officials in tow, only to come across pleas by the Raju Shirodkar family and his immediate neighbours for financial assistance.
Touched by the plight of the Shirodkar family, Avertano called up the district authorities, only to be informed that the authorities can sanction only `5,000 as compensation up to a maximum ceiling of `25,000, drawing flak from the residents of the locality. In his bid to get financial assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief fund for the Shirodkar family, Avertano called up Chief Minister, Laxmikant Parsekar with a plea to sanction `2 lakh for the family, only to be informed that the family may be eligible for only `1 lakh.
Moved by the plight of the family, a dejected Avertano promised to provided `1 lakh to the family as his contribution, handing over an amount `50,000 to the family as first installment. “I will try to get at least `2 lakh to the family from the CM’s relief fund. I will also take up this issue with the Power Minister for some assistance since the locals are blaming the department for the high voltage,” he said.
Raju and his wife drew attention of the Fisheries Minister to the huge losses the family suffered due to the high voltage.
“We have lost everything. I will have to start from scratch. Apart from a trouser and t-shirt, I have nothing else with me,” Raju told the media, even as locals blamed the Power Department for the surge in voltage that hit the locality on New Years’ day.
