Bhadrak: Nearly a year after she met with an accident that left her incapacitated, Odisha teen Sheetal is actively considering approaching the district administration for euthanasia since her family is no longer in a position to afford her treatment.
To her bad luck, despite all the tall promises, the district administration – that promised to fund her treatment – has backed out as well leaving her family on doldrums.
Sheetal is a survivor of July 19, 2018 road mishap that took place near Rahanj on National Highway 16 in Bhadrak district that claimed lives of five students including her elder sister Sweta.
Like any other day, the students were returning home from Ranital High School in Rahanj area July 19, 2018 afternoon while a speeding truck ran over them claiming five lives — Satyabrat Barik, Sukant Sahu, Kalpana Jena, Sweta Sahu and Priyambada Mahanty of Ranital Asura Hatasahi village. Six others were injured critically in the incident. Sheetal is one of them.
At the time of incident, a number of condolence meetings were organised by the government and nongovernmental organisations alike. Tall promises were made. An amount of Rs 4 lakh — Rs 2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and Rs 2 lakh from the Education Department –was released to the families of each deceased. At the same time, the administration and the government announced to bear the treatment cost of the injured students.
This announcement has remained an announcement only. It has made the life of Sheetal – Subash Sahu’s younger daughter – extremely difficult and painful.
Sheetal got her left hand and right leg badly injured in the mishap. She was first treated at Bhadrak district headquarters hospital and then admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Unable to afford the treatment any longer, she had to come back home midway through her treatment after two months at SCB.
She has been bedridden ever since. Her injuries, meanwhile, are getting from bad to worse.
The distressed family, which has already lost their elder daughter to the accident, has so far spent about Rs 14 lakh in getting their daughter treated. After Sweta’s demise, there are five daughters in Subash’s family apart from other members. Due to his poor financial condition, he is no longer able to bear the treatment cost of his daughter.
“Initially the district administration had given something from the Red Cross fund which was a drop in the ocean,” claimed Subash, who earns his livelihood from selling sacks.
“Her friends are attending school. But Sheetal remains confined to bed, writhing in pain. The wounds have made her life akin to hell. How can a father see his daughter suffering from pain,” added the visibly upset father.
Sheetal herself seems to be losing hope. Perhaps, she realises that the hands of her family are tied financially. Perhaps, she realises that this should be it.
“I am in deep pain. This is getting unbearable with time. I am considering approaching the district administration seeking permission for euthanasia that will relieve me of this pain. I want to be with my (deceased) sister Sweta,’ said the teenager crying inconsolably.
“She is struggling for life, even without knowing what has been in store for her. But, every single day she lives a life no less painful than death,” said a villagers while requesting the government to come forward in getting Sheetal a new lease of life.
District collector Gyana Ranjan Das claimed that the administration has already done its bit as given in law to help the family financially.
Meanwhile, other families that lost their children to the mishap are also spending days mourning their children. “The very mention of the mishap makes our hair stand on end. Every day we pray that no one ever should face the kind of fate as we have,” they bemoaned.
PNN