Even as rains lashed the city throwing life out of gear, a couple’s woes were far more than others.
Besides the flooding fury, their shocking experience came when they were driven out of their dwelling by their kin even as one of them was ailing and outside the rain was merciless.
However, at a time of distress, when ailing Prakash Chandra Das came to the office of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) with wife
Babita, the former was given a quick assistance and his stay was arranged at the Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUH), Ghatikia, on Sunday.
literally, Prakash’s weeping wife Babita remained worried about her two sons. While Prakash is suffering from a liver disease, the insensible elder brother and sister-in-law of him and Babita, staying upstairs, did not allow their family to take shelter even during the water-logged hours of Saturday.
“My sister-in-law was so rude that she did not pay any attention to our plight, but as co-inheritor of the property, we have a share in that and we have every right to live with dignity, there,’’ said Babita.
Babita has to keep her two sons at her friend’s place as both the husband and wife came to the BMC to get justice and also to seek the help of SUH as Prakash is trembling severely with his diseased condition and not getting proper water to drink. Drinking polluted water has also resulted in more complications to his body.
A video, shared by Babita, was in fact shot by a hostel resident of nearby house in Acharya Vihar shows that how the sister-in-law of the former was driving away her (Babita), her husband Prakash Kumar Das and two kids and not allowing them to climb to the upstairs while the water level was alarmingly high after the incessant rains.
Address of the elder brother and sister-in-law of Babita and Prakash is: 88/7 Acharya Vihar behind TTD Kalyan Mandap. It was also learnt that they have also violated the ODA Act and built the house without building plan approval. While the elder brother and his wife are denying the due share to the family (younger brother, his wife and two sons) even after the local panchayat demarcated the share as per a detailed discussion, they are earning good amount by converting their property to a hostel.
The elder sister-in-law allegedly had attacked Babita when the latter demanded the due share for her family as the original house over Plot No. 88/7 Acharya Vihar belongs to their father.
“Instead of giving share the elder brother and his wife has constructed a hostel for bachelors and collecting money, but never cared to listen to our demand, which is forcing us to stay downstairs with all these odds, said Babita.
Interestingly, when Babita and Prakash went to Sahid Nagar police station to get justice, they were driven away as the elder brother is close to a political activist.