Sitabai Virnak, who lost her husband and 4 children, had to struggle to prove she was the mother, and owner of 3 houses before the landslide
Malin: Shortly after the sun rose on July 30, 2014, Sitabai Bhiva Virnak, now 70, was out tending to her paddy fields in Malin. When she returned, her whole family had been buried under the sudden landslide caused by the heavy rain the previous night.
Sitabai lost her husband and four grown-up children in the tragedy. The grieving mother continues to look for her daughter, who was 22 at the time, because her body was never found. She still roams in the area where she last saw her daughter's sari hanging from the crane of the JCB that was digging through the debris.
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Sitabai Virnak, who lost five members of her family in the 2014 landslide
Sitabai lost her husband Bhiva, 25-year-old son, Devram, daughters, Neelam (22) and Kamal (27) and stepdaughter, Indubai Shegade (33). Sitabai's elder son Pradeep is a teacher and her daughter Vimal is married and settled in Pune.
Sitabai's struggles began from the day she finds hard to erase from memory. She first had to give proof that she was the mother of four children and she had an even harder time finding proof that the family owned three houses in Malin, measuring a total 15,000 sq feet.
'Had to prove I was the mother'
"Why does a mother still have to struggle to prove that she can be a claimant after her son's death, while the father does not have to prove a thing? I had to file Right to Information requests to prove that I am the mother of four dead children. Also, when the government told us they would give us houses in another village, I had to move an application to again prove that I owned three houses measuring 15,000 square feet in total. The government is giving me just one 420 sq ft house. This is an injustice as my husband and I had built those houses for our children with our hard-earned money," Sitabai said.
'Living in hell'
Today, Sitabai lives alone in a 20x20 tin shed. She likens it to hell – no water, no electricity, no bathroom, no safety and the shed is a furnace in the summer.
The huge cranes digging in the debris for those buried under it back in 2014. Sitabai says she saw her daughter's sari fluttering on the crane that had dug it out and feels she is still alive as they never recovered her body
Sitabai said, "My family was well-to-do before the landslide. My husband and I owned a flour mill and paddy fields. We worked hard and educated all our children. My daughter Neelam was closest to me and had been keen on getting a higher education. My son Devram had a degree in commerce. That year both had planned to move to Pune. But, everything ended on July 30 two years back."
She went on, "I had come back from the fields and saw my house collapse before my eyes. They found everyone's bodies except of my daughter Neelam. I sometimes sit in the landslide area in the hope of finding her."
She said, "After the landslide, I had to struggle a lot as I had no documents to prove anything. When I asked the government officials if I could get one more house against the three that we lost, they said I would have to pay them Rs 10,000."
Sitabai received R7 lakh for each of the family members she lost. But, the amount is in a fixed deposit and she can only use the interest accrued from it. She said, "Six months back, I needed a cataract surgery and some money for my niece's wedding. I asked the authorities if I could break an FD, but they said no. What is the use of the money if I cannot use it for my health?"
'In memory of my family'
Sitabai said she was going to prepare a large meal on July 30 in memory of her family. "My son liked puran poli, my daughters loved amti, while my husband was fond of bhakri. I will prepare 16 different dishes that my children and husband liked and serve it to my neighbours."
OfficialSpeak
We spoke to Rajendra Muthe, Resident District Collector (RDC), about Sitabai's allegations, he said, "The compensation amount is put in a fixed deposit for 10 years, before which they cannot withdraw the principal. That is the rule. The allegation about demanding R10,000 for another house is wrong and no government officer has asked for any such thing. Besides, as per government norms, each house given to survivors should be in the range of a maximum Rs 2 lakh but our Collector wanted to give them better housing facilities such as water, electricity and drainage. This is costing us R6 lakh for each house. We have done our best for them."
He added, "About the allotment of the houses, it is being done as per the records with the gram panchayat. Houses not mentioned in the records would mean that villagers had encroached on the space, making them illegal. We cannot give houses if records of a previous house do not exist."
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