Admin’s failure to address woman’s problems prompts her to suicide bid

A woman attempted suicide outside the office of Dhenkanal district collectorate on Wednesday as her pleas to get a house under a government scheme failed to yield results despite repeated requests for years. However, Dhenkanal Town police rescued the woman. 

Terming herself a destitute, the woman identified as Sasmita Rout, a resident of Koilibhumi, had earlier tried to commit suicide on February 9 for the same reason. 

Sasmita alleged that her neighbours tortured her just because she got abandoned by her husband.  Though she has urged concerned officials to allot her a house under government yojanas, her pleas remained unheard of for which she took this extreme step.

Sasmita said, “I have been making rounds of Collectorate office for last five years to avail a house and a plot under government schemes. No one is allowing me meet the District Collector. My neighbours demolished my houses many a times following which I am living in a tent with my kids. My husband left me five years back.  Taking advantage of it, my neighbours are always threatening to outrage the modesty of me and my daughter.”

She further claimed “No one is paying heed to my requests. All I want is an electricity connection to my house so that my children can study. My daughter studies in Class X. I am an illiterate person but I don’t want my kids to be illiterate. But villagers are not allowing my kids to study in the village school because my parents sold me in Uttar Pradesh. I left my in-law’s house because I was meted out torture there.  I want justice right away.”