It was a night when all was lost. Some lost their siblings, some their spouses and others their children.
A year since the deluge swallowed everything in its path in Ali Nagar, M.A. Taher Qureshi, the sole survivor who fought the ravenous torrent for over four hours, and his son Wasif Qureshi, are seeking an answer to the same tormenting question — what has become of their relatives.
“Even after a year, my brother Wajid and his son Wahab are missing. The least my father and I deserve to know is what happened to them. We should at least get to see their faces, to know what state they are in,” says Wasif.
Bolt from the blue
Wasif (30) was working in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, when the raging waters pillaged the neighbourhood, and claimed the life of his wife, Humera Tabassum. A distraught Wasif reached Hyderabad on October 21 last year to be with his parents. But, the pressing need for financially supporting his grieving family overshadowed everything else. After the death of his mother, it was imperative that he head home for good.
“My father was unwell. But the incident took a further toll on him. My mother’s passing too was difficult for him,” Wasif says.
Tedious paperwork
The family, including Wasif’s brother-in-law Mohammed Omer, a lawyer by profession, claims that as months passed, dealing with authorities to get paperwork done became taxing.
It was barely 10 days ago, Wasif says, that the last of the death certificates were issued.
While four members of the family received ex-gratia cheques of ₹5 lakh each, the family maintains that a 2BHK house that they were assured and a job for the next of kin are yet to materialise.
According to a document which the family shared with The Hindu , Rajendranagar mandal tahsildar K. Chandrasekhar Goud on October 21, 2020, wrote to Revenue Divisional Officer that the matter may be submitted for sanction of 2BHK house in Saidabad mandal. The houses were for the survivor Taher Qureshi, and his sister-in-law Zahera Naseem Qureshi. Zahera’s husband, Abdul Quddus Qureshi, was swept away when he was trying to save his family.
Unhealed wounds
“Who would want to live in a place where there was so much sorrow? My mother wanted to move from here,” Wasif says, adding that after the initial visit, follow-up meetings of politicians became scarce.
The family says the body of Wasey Qureshi, another brother of Wasif, was found in the Shaligouraram Police Station limits in Nalgonda district. So decomposed was the body that it had to be buried in a village.
Wasey’s wife also died in the deluge. Their two children now live with Wasif.
“A few weeks ago, we tried to visit the grave but it remained inaccessible. It was not possible to wade through the slush due to heavy rains,” Wasif says.
