No power, water for Pak refugees in capital

New Delhi: Amid the stack of garbage in national capital’s Adarsh Nagar, lies a cluster of shacks where 620 refugees from Pakistan, who fled religious prosecution, are living under miserable conditions from the last five years.

The migrants are facing a hard time, because first, they didn’t have the access to electricity from the last two months and second, because of the risk of heavy rainfall which has increased the risk of diseases. Even the government is unable to hear their plight.

Just 20 km away from the Parliament, the refugee camp came into existence in 2013, and is still battling to get Indian citizenship. The migrants who came a long way to seek a better life are still juggling between authorities. From last two months, the camp has no electricity and no running water. A single water tanker fulfills the everyday need of over 100 families. The last week’s torrential rain had shattered their makeshift homes and their hope. Now, they are having second thoughts about their decision of coming to India.

When asked about whether they are afraid from the recent situation of NRC draft, one of the refugee Ramlal said, we came with a hope of getting a better life and respect, but instead of that we are forced to live a life of vagabond. He further said that we came with valid documents but are still neglected by the authorities.

We just want basic amenities and nothing else from the government, he added. Few days back, an uproar was caused on social media that the colony had no electricity, which led to the death of a 40-year-old woman. An official from the electricity board on the condition of anonymity said, the residents made unauthorised connections directly from electricity poles, which is an illegal act.

The rains mixed with garbage, had turned the place into a dump yard, which led to the breading of mosquitoes, leading to the problem like dengue, malaria and chikungunia.