The scars of the October 5 floods haven’t healed yet for Raju Mahali, a casual worker at the Bamandanga-Tondu tea estate in the Nagrakata block of Jalpaiguri.
Nearly three weeks later, Raju is still homeless. And he is now living with his family in a school building in fear of animal as diverse as a leopard and a python.
The flash flood that occurred on October 5 completely swept away Raju’s hutment that was in the Beech Line area of the garden.
With no means left after the disaster, Raju, along with his wife Kunti and their two children, took shelter in the primary school of the garden.
As Raju cannot afford to rebuild his house just as yet, the schoolroom has now become their makeshift relief camp.
However, the family is petrified of leopard and python intrusions on the school premises.
While others affected by the flood have returned to their homes, Raju’s family has nowhere to go. With schools scheduled to reopen after the Durga Puja holidays, the family is also uncertain about their future shelter.
On October 5, Bimaljhora — a local stream, swelled due to rainfall and a flash flood in the upstream. It spilled over the banks and damaged a number of houses. Raju’s hutment was swept away. As of now, nothing remains at the site of their hutment. They also lost their essential documents — identity cards and certificates.
Out of their six cows, the family managed to save four, three cows and a calf.
Since then, Raju and his family members have been staying at the primary school.
Initially, the Mahali family thought the school would be a safe shelter.
While they stayed in a classroom, their three cows and one calf used to be tethered on the school compound.
But their troubles did not end here.
On Tuesday, a leopard that had strayed into the garden took away the calf.
“There’s also the danger of pythons. One day, a 12-foot-long python entered the classroom during the day. It was traumatic for the children. Frankly, even I was scared. We don’t know how long we will have to live in such fear,” said Raju.
“We haven’t slept for days,” he added.
The state forest department, Kunti, his wife, said, has placed a cage to trap the leopard.
“But they did not put any goat as bait. We were told to provide the goat. We plead helplessness. The flood swallowed everything we own. We cannot afford to buy a goat,” she said.
“If the leopard comes now, it will come for our cows,” she said.
Gautam Oraon, a member of the local panchayat, said they are arranging a goat as bait.
“We hope the leopard will be trapped soon. We have also told the family to be alert because of the python,” he said.
Gautam Sahu, another resident, said: “Raju and his family are currently staying at the school, but before school resumes, an alternative shelter is being arranged for them.”
The residents, he said, are searching for an alternative shelter for the family as the school will reopen soon.
With the family incapable of building a hutment currently, Sanjay Kujur, the sabhapati of the Nagrakata panchayat samiti, said they were taking steps to arrange an accommodation for the family.
“We have sent a list of houses damaged in the flood to the district administration. We stand with the Mahali family and are making efforts to build a house for them,” said Kujur.