‘A lifetime of dreams and hopes shattered in mere 5 minutes by killer tornado’

Dibyendu Sinha, MP, 1 Apr 2024, Jalpaiguri: It took just 5 minutes to rob her of everything, including her dream stated Sarobala Roy, a 55-year-old resident of the Puntumari area of Barnish Gram Panchayat (GP), huddled under a tarpaulin sheet provided by the administration, spending the night tending to her sick husband, mentally unstable son, and minor grandson. 

However, as dawn approached, the daunting question of how to navigate the challenges of the coming day loomed heavily on her mind. Tears streamed down Sarobala’s face as she recounted the overwhelming burden of medical expenses for her husband and son, along with the pressing need to provide for her grandson’s education. 

Amid the rubble of her shattered home, she frantically searched for something in the midst of the broken wood strewn about. Returning to the shelter of the tarpaulin, she rifled through a trunk, desperately seeking government papers and the Rs 40,000 she had back-breakingly saved from her earnings as a domestic help for over the past two years, intended for her grandson’s education. 

However, the relentless Sunday storm had swept away not her possessions, but also her hopes for her grandson’s future. There were many like Sarobala, trying to salvage whatever they could from whatever remained. 

Haripad Roy, a resident of the Puntumari area, currently undergoing treatment at Jalpaiguri Super Specialty Hospital, recounted the terror of the storm that engulfed him, his wife, and daughter. 

“I’ve never witnessed such ferocity in my life of 50 years,” he lamented, emphasising the profound relief of still being alive alongside his family amid the devastation. For him, the paramount concern now lay in the well-being of his loved ones. Bishu Roy, a small shopkeeper who had invested in building a home through a substantial bank loan, found himself grappling with the harsh reality of seeing his brick house crumble before his eyes during Sunday’s calamity. 

Now he, along with his wife, children and mother, resides exposed to the elements, pondering on how to sustain his family and repay the looming debt. He echoed the sentiments of countless others in Barnish and Puntimari Gram Panchayats, all left destitute by the wrath of nature and now reliant on government assistance to rebuild their shattered lives. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/a-lifetime-of-dreams-and-hopes-shatteredin-mere-5-minutes-by-killer-tornado-558172?infinitescroll=1