Kendrapara: The district administration sprung into action after OTV reported the news of a Class X student Subhasis Mallick, who wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting to facilitate sending a 108 vehicle to Kalamada Sasan village to get his grandmother admitted to a hospital.
But the step taken by the administration met with sharp criticism. The Revenue Inspector (RI) arrived in the village in a country boat to take the old woman to which Subasis’ father protested.
Subasis’ father Gadadhar Mallick said, “While the elderly of three villages are suffering here, they are here to take my mother but who will take care of others.”
Talking to OTV, Aul Tehsildar Ashwini Kumar Bhuyan said, “We tried to convince them, I had even talked with the medical officer who had arranged all facilities but they did not agree to come.”
Despite 70 years of Independence, Kalamada Sasan, Padinapala and Daitaripur villages in the block are inaccessible by road due to Kani and Kharsrota rivers.
The villages are marooned during the rainy season making it even difficult for an ambulance to reach. One has to traverse three kilometres on a country boat to reach the Aul Community Health Centre (CHC). The locals have urged the district administration several times to construct a bridge over the rivers.
Meanwhile, taking note of the situation, a medical team has reached the village and is treating the ill.
Doctor of Aul CHC, Indrabhanu Pradhan said, “Not only one, there are many old women in the village. It was only one incident that was reported but I had visited there and saw that many others are facing the same situation. A bridge or any other facility for them is necessary so that they will be able to bring their ill to hospital easily. Or else a Primary Health Centre (PHC) should be set up in the area for them.”