GUNWANTI PARASTE (PUNE): The survivors of Malin landslide, who were rehabilitated in a new village, face new problems in the form of first rainfall. The first rainfall shows the worst conditions in the village.

The 67 houses built on eight acres of a plot by the government are a few kilometers away from the site that witnessed the landslide. The new house built for each family is 425 square feet in area and stands on 1500 square feet plot at Amade, around eight kilometers from the actual site of the landslide. Besides houses, the governments have built a school, community hall, a Gram Panchayat office, and a bus stop.

The houses built by the government under the rehabilitation scheme are of bad quality and not able to bear heavy rainfall. The worst condition of roads, houses, and school walls shows how bad quality materials have been used for construction by the government.

Just a few months ago, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis had presented the new build houses to the Malin survivors, and the CM had also announced that it was his dream project to make Malin a smart village.

“We are not ready to stay in these conditions. They are trying to shift us to another place. The old memories are still fresh in our minds and we can’t take a risk to stay here,” said a villager.

Pune collector Sourabh Rao visited the village for inspection and he assured people that they should not worry about the rehabilitation work. “Immediate corrective measures are being taken and we will be monitoring the village during the entire monsoon season. After the monsoon, permanent restoration steps will also be taken,” said Rao.