Hasina Fakhroo and her family lived in a kuccha house. In 2018, Hasina’s husband, Fakhroo Khan, passed away. It was in 2020 that the family managed to build a pucca house with the amount they received under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
The government aid supported them with 2.5 lakh rupees while they augmented it with the 1 lakh they have saved to build a safe house for the family and the house was subsequently constructed. They were living in the Khaskhaswadi Area of Khargone district. However, they were not aware that their house would be declared illegitimate in the upcoming months.
Only six months had passed since the family had started living in their newly built abode. For Hasina, this house was not just brick and mortar, it was built with the sweat of her family who had worked hard to gather the money.
In April 2022, communal clashes had sparked in the Khargone area during the Ramnavami procession. The very next day, 22 houses were bulldozed by the state on the grounds that these houses were built in an unauthorized way.
Hasina’s house was one of the razed buildings. Although the house was built under PM’s Housing Scheme, it was bulldozed to the ground. The papers with Hasina showed the house in Birla Marg to be under her name, after the death of her husband, who was the beneficiary of the scheme.
When Miles2Miles visited Hasina, she could not hold back her tears seeing the roof above her head crumble down which she had built with hope and hard work. The demolition shattered her from inside and left her in a despondent state. Unfortunately, that day Hasina did not only lose her house. She also lost all the material belongings and possessions in the devastation.
She had lived in this area for more than three decades. It is hard to imagine Hasina’s condition when she was accused of encroachment in an area where she had spent nearly all of her life. In just a span of a few hours, Hasina had practically lost everything. As a mother, she must be worried sick about her two sons, who were now homeless.
One of her sons, Amjad Khan, told the media outlets that the municipal workers who came with bulldozers did not listen to the family’s request that the house was built under the scheme and razed it within minutes. The municipality paid them a visit on 16 April. They extended rations and took thumb impressions with the promise of rehabilitation. However, months have passed and no major step has been taken.
Seeing their situation, Miles2Miles swiftly began a fundraiser for Hasina and her family. With the support of our compassionate donors, we were able to assist Hasina with 2 lakh rupees to alleviate their sufferings for the time-being.
