HIGHLIGHTS
*She had gone with her parents on pilgrimage to the shrine in Uttarakhand when the floods occurred.
*While she became separated from her parents and got lost, her father Rajesh died in the disaster and her mother Seema survived.
*The girl was found by the NGO Childline in Jammu in 2014 and housed in a shelter home.
AGRA/DEHRADUN: Five years after she was separated from her family and went missing in the devastating Kedarnath floods of 2013, 17-year-old Chanchal finally reunited with them in Aligarh on Sunday. The fairy tale story, however, is tinged with sadness for the teenager as her family is not too keen to take her back, citing poverty as the reason for their hesitation in keeping her with them. Chanchal is partially blind and mentally unstable.
The floods in Uttarakhand had claimed the lives of nearly 700 people. Besides, 3,886 people are still listed as missing and authorities assume that they were swept away and drowned. One of them was Chanchal. She had gone with her parents on pilgrimage to the shrine in Uttarakhand when the floods occurred. While she became separated from her parents and got lost, her father Rajesh died in the disaster and her mother Seema survived. The girl was found by the NGO Childline in Jammu in 2014 and housed in a shelter home. After several efforts over the years, her family was traced to Lohia Nagar under Banna Devi police station in Aligarh and she was sent back to them.
According to Chanchal’s uncle Mohan (who goes by his first name), Rajesh and Seema had left Aligarh 11 years ago and settled in Ghaziabad. “They never visited us after that. Following the tragedy, Seema, who was left alone returned to Ghaziabad but did not contact us. Chanchal is a part of our family, but because of her disabilities, we will not be able to take care of her. Keeping a 17-year-old girl in her condition with us is a difficult task,” he said.
“We are economically weak. I work as a cobbler and earn just Rs 250-300 per day. My father Harish Chand who is 75 years old has a tea stall. There are nine members in the family, including my wife and two sons, who I have to feed. We agreed to accept Chanchal only after Childline officials assured us that they will take care of her if any problem arises,” Mohan added.