Sambalpur: Sabitri Seth (90) of Basantpur village under Dhanakauda block in this district has been leading a life of deprivation with none to take care of her.
A smelly thatched house full of bees and mosquitoes is her only shelter. Her situation has remained like this since the death of her husband Yogi Seth 10 years ago.
Yogi was affected by an unknown disease. The elderly couple borrowed loans for Yogi’s treatment, but in vain. After battling with the disease, he breathed his last leaving behind Sabitri.
In the last 10 years, she ran from pillar to post to avail widow pension, a pucca house and rations supplied under government schemes, but to no avail.
Sabitri alleged that all her applications disappeared from the panchayat office. Her old age prevents her from doing any kind of work. She is bent in her waist and needs the support of a walking stick.
Availing no option, she begs in the village for a living. She lives with whatever locals give her out of sympathy. Pathetically, she has not availed a BPL card till now.
She lives with one or two meals a day most of the time. Her old age has become a hindrance now and she is not able to go out for begging. She is crawling inside her house and waiting for death due to starvation.
Several schemes launched by the government for elderly people continue to elude Sabitri. Meanwhile, the locals have urged the administration to take heed of Sabitri’s plight and rehabilitate her to an old age home. PNN
