Naktideula: Abject poverty Monday forced an 18-year-old girl along with her 12-year-old brother to pull their mother’s body in a bullock cart from the local community health centre (CHC) here in Sambalpur district to their village.
The family was unable to afford a vehicle and the two arranged the cart to carry their mother’s body for cremation. The heartrending scene left passers-by shocked and speechless.
The deceased woman was identified as Pramila Mohapatra, wife of Prahalad Mohapatra, a village priest of Sarapali under this block while her children were identified as Sasmita and Manas.
According to reports, Prahlad supports his family from the meagre earnings that gets by working at a local temple. His wife recently suffered from high blood pressure a few days back. Prahlad started spending more on her treatment as there were no signs of improvement in Pramila’s condition. Her condition became critical Sunday night and the family somehow managed to admit her to Naktideula CHC. However, she succumbed to the disease late in the night. Prahald had already spent all of his money on his wife’s treatment and had no money left to take his wife’s body back to their village.
Realising their father’s plight, Sasmita and Manas rose to the occasion and arranged a bullock cart from one of their relatives. However, they failed to get bullocks to pull the cart. Left with no option, they put the body on the cart and pulled it all the way to the village passing through the bus stand road. Pramila’s last rites were performed in the villager.
“Pramila died of high blood pressure and paralysis Sunday night. However, it is unfortunate that there were no means to take her body back to her village in a proper manner,” CHC’s medical officer Amulyaratna Mahant said.
Sarapali sarpanch Jadumani Patra said he was not aware of the development. The family has received cash assistance under Harishchandra Yojana from the administration, it was learnt. PNN
