Joda: Blessed with abundant natural resources, Keonjhar district could have been boasting of robust economic growth along with better social indicators. However, the stark reality is that the children under Joda block here are malnourished as they feed on boiled mohua and tamarind seeds. According to sources, more than 30 children of the Sargitalia area under this block in the mineral-rich Keonjhar district are in the grip of malnutrition as the benefits of the Union and state government schemes have failed to reach the locals. The matter came to the fore after a medical team conducted a checkup of the afflicted children and admitted two of them to the nutritional rehabilitation centre (NRC) in Barbil.
A team member, Ramani Ranjan Patra, rejected the death of two children which occurred last Wednesday and Friday due to malnutrition. He said that the two children perished due to pneumonia and tuberculosis. Sources said the residents of Sargitalia area under ward no-13 of Joda Municipality in Keonjhar district are all poor due to a lack of livelihood opportunities. They are living a helpless life and are unable to arrange two square meals a day. They have to consume boiled mohua, tamarind seeds, and forest produce due to a lack of nutritious food.
As a result, over 30 children have reportedly been afflicted with malnutrition. Sargitalia area is surrounded by various mines and geographically it is the largest ward under Joda Municipality. The Surisahi, Latarsahi, and Chitansahi localities in Sargitalia are some of the places where basic facilities still elude the residents. As per the electoral roll, over 300 people from tribal communities reside in the area which is abuzz with economic activities like mining, and transportation of minerals through railway siding and trucks.
However, the locals are jobless. They collect minor forest produce like tooth sticks, sal leaves, mangoes, wild berries, and firewood and sell them in the local market to earn a living. They get rice under the government scheme but that falls short to feed their entire family. Left with no option, they consume boiled mohua, tamarind seeds, wild tubers, sal seeds, and a kind of wild ants as food, locals Sonu Munda, Tamba Munda, and Guru Charan Munda alleged. Their children also eat the same food for which they are down from malnutrition. Kailash Munda of the area alleged that his three-year-old daughter Shalini Munda fell sick and became anemic as he could not provide her with nutritious food.
Initially, he admitted Shalini to Tata Hospital in Joda and later shifted her to Keonjhar district headquarters hospital before shifting her to Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack. She, however, failed to recover and succumbed to her illness. He said that he did not receive any financial assistance from the state government during treatment in Cuttack and only received Rs 200 from the district mineral foundation which he was spending to meet his daily expenses. Sudura Munda, an elderly tribal, said that the responsibility of his three grandchildren befell on him after the death of his son. The children eat only once a day and remain starved at night as the rice supplied to him falls short for the whole family. Tribals Julu Munda, Sudan Munda, and Sonu Munda alleged that over 30 children have become feeble and sick due to a lack of adequate food to eat and medical care. They alleged that there is an Anganwadi centre at Khuntapani, about 3 km from Sargitalia.
However, it is of no use as the children do not get healthcare and study facilities at the center. Consequently, the children do odd jobs to earn a living. They also alleged that the Baitarani river flows near Sargitalia but they do not get safe drinking water, while a tube well in the area has become defunct. Moreover, the area witnesses regular power outage due to the elephant protection plan. A social activist Churchil Mahakur is spending from his own pocket to renovate a defunct well and supply water to the residents. Tata Steel has installed a motor pump in the area for the supply of drinking water to the residents.
However, frequent power cuts have made it redundant. In a bid to make the people self-reliant, Joda Municipality authorities are constructing a park near the Baitarani river bank. However, the construction of the park is only halfway through due to a lack of coordination between the Forest department and the civic body authorities. Joda Municipality chairman Jagdish Prasad Patra said that steps will be taken to complete the park soon.
