Housing scheme benefits elude AES-affected family in Muzaffarpur

PATNA: There seems to be a long wait for Sukhlal Sahni, who lost his twin daughters due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) early this week. Sahni, a resident of Raushanpur village under the Musahari block in Muzaffarpur district, had applied for benefits under the Indira Awas Yojana.
Rajwara panchayat mukhiya Jayanti Devi said on Thursday that Sukhlal’s name figured in the list of beneficiaries in the panchayat under the Indira Awas Yojana.“The list was submitted to the officials of Musahari block early this year. But nothing has happened so far on this front,” she said.
As per the instruction of the chief minister’s office (CMO) in Patna, all people living below the poverty line (BPL) in AES affected blocks of Muzaffarpur district have to be provided benefits under the Indira Awas Yojana. The scheme was to be launched in altogether 196 villages under five worst affected blocks in the district on a priority basis.
The Rajwara panchayat chief further said, “Altogether 1,019 people have already given benefits of the housing scheme in the panchayat. A fresh list of 850 people was sent to the authorities concerned early this year, which is still pending. Sukhlal, whose twin daughters died of the AES recently, figured in the second list.”
Efforts to contact district magistrate Chandra Shekhar Singh for his comments proved futile. However, officer on special duty Alok Kumar said that the officers have been instructed to visit the AES-hit villages every Saturday to assess the awareness campaign as well as development schemes. “The DM is monitoring the schemes undertaken in those villages,” he added.
Mushahari BDO Ravi Ranjan said that the survey of the applicants was to be conducted before March end. “However, it couldn’t happen due to nationwide lockdown ,” he added. Circle officer Nagendra Kumar was also not available for his comments.
Miseries of the inhabitants of Raushanpur village does not end here. The village situated on the embankment of Budhi Gandak has no approach road. As a result people have to reach the block headquarters or the district headquarters either on motorbikes or bicycles. Most of the people go to the local market on foot.
A local resident Shiv Nath Rai said the village having a population of around 1800 is dominated mostly by members of fishermen community. “A proposal to connect the village with the block headquarters was sent to the authorities concerned. Bochahan MLA Baby Kumari also raised the issue in the state assembly but in vain,” he said.
According to the local panchayat head, at least five villages under Rajwara panchayat have no link roads despite the block being identified as AES-hit. Last year, two children had died of AES at Musahari panchayat alone. Sukhlal’s twin daughters—Sukhi Kumari and Mausam Kumari (4), died at the SKMCH in Muzaffarpur on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.