TV
Eighty-year-old Narayan Chandra Jena, a two-time Sarpanch of Barasahi village under Oarati Panchayat, Nischintakoili block in Cuttack, sits beneath a roof patched with straw and hope, one that leaks with every rainfall and threatens to collapse at any time.
Once a community leader who enabled housing and pension schemes for others, Jena today finds himself excluded from the very systems he once helped implement, according to reports.
Despite having led his panchayat twice and overseeing a range of welfare initiatives from ensuring Indira Awas Yojana homes for the poor to facilitating old-age pensions, Jena now lives in a dilapidated mud house.
Sources reported that he shares the dilapidated structure with his wife, Pramila Jena, but both are struggling to afford two full meals a day. What makes his case more poignant is his refusal to beg for help. Neighbours say Jena has never asked for a government house for himself.
“My condition may not be good, but life continues. I do not want to go knocking on several doors to appeal for help. If it wasn’t in my fate, I accept it,” said Jena when asked why he did not approach the government for help.
“Rainwater pours through the broken thatch. We can see the sky from inside. I do not know if we will get to eat in the future," his wife says, pointing at the gaping roof over their heads.
“Whenever it rains, we call them (Jena and his wife) to live at our place, as their roof blows open during thunderstorms. He lived with dignity as Sarpanch, but despite his hardship, he is unwilling to plead,” said a neighbour.
Local Officials Acknowledge Neglect, Promise Swift Action
Following media attention, officials of the Nischintakoili Block Development Office have acknowledged Jena’s condition. BDO Dibyendu Das confirmed that the administration is aware of the case.
“Our team had gone to his village and inspected his condition. He has been included in the Antodaya scheme of the government. The process is ongoing. We are taking steps to ensure he receives a pucca house soon,” he said.
