Siolim: A 75-year-old woman was rendered homeless in Rai-Siolim after her house collapsed due to incessant rains.
A few days ago, a mud wall of the house had collapsed, but yesterday the entire structure collapsed leaving Premavati Vernekar without a roof over her head.
The septuagenarian however had a narrow escape. Neighbours rushed to her rescue and tried to retrieve some belongings that were buried under the debris.
Residents said that the house could have been saved if Premavati had been sanctioned assistance to repair the house on time under the government scheme.
Ward panch Sharmila Vernekar and the panchayat body then contributed to reconstruct the house immediately.
Vernekar stated that earlier a mud house belonging to one Nali Salgaoncar had collapsed and there are three more similar houses which are in a dilapidated state.
When questioned as to why people are not advised on the house repair schemes by the panchayat body, Sharmila stated that the procedure is cumbersome and hence people shy away from availing them. “In this case, we passed a resolution to reach out to Premavati on an urgency basis” she said.
Meanwhile the homeless woman spent the night in a hut and had to depend on the neighbours to provide cater to her needs. Sources stated that the woman was staying alone in her home after her husband had passed away and solely survived on the Rs 2000 she got from the Dayanand Social Security Scheme.
