Aurangabad: Twenty-seven years after an earthquake claimed several lives at Kaldev Nimbala in Maharashtra’s Osmanabad district, a memorial, built by local residents themselves, was unveiled on Wednesday. An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 hit the Latur-Osmanabad region on September 30, 1993, killing nearly 10,000 people and injuring thousands of others.
Around 52 villages were devastated. “We thought there should be a memorial for those who lost their lives in the earthquake. But it was not possible with government funds,” said Devidas Pavshere, a local resident.
“So villagers decided to build it themselves and the work began four years ago. It had to be halted when funds ran out, but new contributions were raised and the memorial was completed,” he said. Sarpanch Sunita Pavshere said, “Those who got employment due to their status as earthquake-affected contributed in a big way to raise this memorial.
“Twenty-seven people from the village — from a two- year-old child to a 70-year-old person — died in the earthquake. We have carved their names on the memorial,” she said. The memorial, which cost Rs 1.25 lakh, will be maintained by the gram panchayat, she added.
Sushila Birajdar from the village lost five members of the family, including her husband who was a teacher, in the quake. “The memorial will help us keep their memories alive,” she said.
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