Puja fails to cheer up flood-hit

Guwahati: Ranjita Rabha was living happily with her two kids in a tiny village in Kamrup district, along the Assam-Meghalaya border, when one afternoon changed her entire life.
On Wednesday, when the state, along with other parts of the country, is gearing up to celebrate Durga Puja, Ranjita is struggling hard to come to terms with life.
Many leaders, including the Union home minister and the chief minister, have visited the flood-hit areas of the state, but it hardly matters to many others like Ranjita.
“Our world has changed completely. We see a gloomy future with nothing left for us to move ahead in our lives. Our money and property are gone. Puja means nothing to us,” said Ranjita, a widow whose house at Hahim village was swept away.
Ranjita, who works as a daily wage labourer, has two kids and is now pleading the state government to provide her the must-needed assistance.
“The money which I had saved was kept in my house. It was washed away, along with a small amount of gold which was gifted to me during my marriage,” added Ranjita.
Though some of these people have started moving away from relief camps, they alleged that the state government has failed to live up to their expectations. They accused the government of failing to fulfil their basic needs. So far, 40 people have been killed in the devastating floods in the state and a majority of them are from Goalpara and Kamrup districts.
The affected people have also blamed political leaders for starting a blame game. Robiul Hoque, a local of Krishnai in Goalpara, said the condition of the relief camps is horrible.
“We are worried that more kids will fall ill now. The condition of women is also very poor. There are several pregnant women in the camps but no sufficient measures have been taken to help them. These people cannot even think of festivals now,” said Robiul.
We are worried that more kids will fall ill now. The condition of the women is also very poor. There are several pregnant women in the camps but no measures have been taken to help them. These people cannot think of celebrating any festivals now