After a massive fire destroyed over 230 shanties at Sarfabad village in Sector 73 last Friday, residents from various high-rise apartments surrounding the area are coming together to help the slum-dwellers. Those living in the makeshift colony have lost all their belongings in the fire, including clothes, money and documents. The area is just a kilometre away from the Sector 76 main road and is dotted by over eight high-rise apartments. Those residing in the shanties work at the apartments as drivers and domestic help.Ever since the fire broke, various residents’ groups can be seen in the area, carrying relief material. “I got to know about the incident on Saturday morning when my domestic help informed me that she will not be able to come to work. After she told me what had happened, we immediately mobilised people from our society and carried out a donation drive to collect woollen clothes and blankets,” says Kummu Joshi, a resident of Prateek Wisteria apartments in Sector 77.Some residents are also bringing in food to be distributed among slum-dwellers. “Their stoves and ration have also been destroyed, so we decided to bring them food. We are distributing about 100kg rice and 40kg pulses by making five kilogram packets of each,” says MD Singh, a resident of JM Aroma Apartments in Sector 75.Yudhvir Singh, another resident of Sector 77, says, “For now, we have provided them with large sheets (tripal) so that they can construct makeshift shanties. However, they will need sheets of tin, for which we will soon be carrying out donation drives.”Residents of several high-rise apartments are helping with the rehabilitation of the fire-affected at Sarfabad village in Sector 73Apart from other belongings, many slum-dwellers have lost their official documents in the fire. “Only recently, I had got my Aadhaar card made and it got burnt in this fire. Many of us have lost our bank documents along with the savings from last month. We are unaware of the formalities to get new documents made. Moreover, being daily wage workers, taking leave from work to complete official work will be a problem,” says Rafikur Islam, a survivor of the fire who works as a driver.Some residents are also helping them fill forms required to get new documents made. “After we got talking with the survivors , we realised that more than food and clothes, they need assistance in getting new documents made. We have made a list of those affected by the fire and we will be helping them complete formalities,” says Vivek Singh, a resident of Grand Ajnara Heritage apartments in Sector 74.Rohima, who lost her shanty in the fire and works at Prateek Wisteria and Grand Omaxe residential apartments as a domestic help, says, “I have been working at houses in various societies around here for the past three years. People here are really kind to help us out at this time of tragedy.”Majeena, another survivor, says, “Now that so many residents have donated clothes and food, we feel that we can get over this tragedy. It feels like we are all a part of one family.”

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