The Rohingya refugees living in the Capital’s Kalindi Kunj area ~ whose makeshift houses, belongings and hard-earned cash were destroyed in Sunday’s fire tragedy ~- are in a state of shock.
They have been shifted to a nearby temporary camp but are finding it hard to forget their traumatic experience. NGOs, government departments, the police and students of Jamia Hamdard University are providing them all help so that they can stand on their feet again.
Dr Abdul Rehman, an employee of the Zakat Foundation, said, “A team of the Delhi government has begun to help the Rohingya refugees with food and other things so that they can restart their lives from scratch.”
Minnatullah Khan, member of the Aam Aadmi Party, said: “The Delhi government is providing food, clothes, water and tents to the Rohingyas.” The land where the Rohingya Muslims had built their makeshift houses is owned by the Zakat Foundation.
Dr Rehman added, “We will rebuild the structures destroyed in the fire. Around 230 people used to live in nearly 43 temporary houses which were reduced to ashes in the blaze.”
Thirty-three-year-old Mohammad Illyas, an e-rickshaw driver, had a painful tale to narrate. “I had saved Rs 50,000 to buy a new e-rickshaw but I lost the entire savings in the fire along with other things, including rice and clothes,” he said.
Noorul Ameen, a 24-year-old e-rickshaw driver, told The Statesman: “I came to my house around 11 p.m. on Saturday and in the early hours of Sunday I saw flames leaping out of the toilet area. In five minutes the fire spread to other houses and destroyed everything we had. I lost Rs 50,000 in cash, a gold chain, a refrigerator, a television set and many other things in the fire. Along with these things I also lost my identity card issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the documents related to my property in Myanmar.”
A 23-year-old labourer, Mohammad Khalique, said he too lost his UNHCR card along with Rs 45,000 in cash, all his clothes, food items and other things.”
However, according to Dr Rehman, Rohingyas who have lost their UNHCR-issued identity cards can get them reissued as the UNHCR office maintains a record of refugees.