Daspalla, Oct 12: Hajari Behera, a visually impaired man, who was left in dejection after failing to encash a cheque of Rs 8,000 provided for being handicapped, breathed a sigh of relief after the administration came to his rescue and gave him cash.
After his plight was reported by media, local tehsildar Pramod Kumar Dalbehera came to Behera’s rescue and provided him cash in lieu of the cheque.
According to sources, Hajari and his sister Sita, both deaf dumb and visually impaired, had been living in a dilapidated shanty at Ostia village under this block in Nayagarh district. With little help from the administration, the siblings had been starving and survived with whatever neighbours offered them out of sympathy.
It was after the media highlighted their plight, the then district Collector directed the tehsildar (in his letter no 3089/ dated November 22, 2016) that the siblings be given an amount of Rs 8,000 from the Chief Minister Relief Fund.
The revenue inspector on behalf of the tehsildar handed over the cheque of ICICI bank (Cheque No- 000386) to the siblings December 22, 2016. However, before they could encash it, Sita breathed her last.
Hajari Behera, being illiterate, had been holding on to the cheque with care for the past two years like a prized possession, hoping for the best. However, he was left dejected after learning that the cheque was no longer of any use and had lost its value after three months.
With the help of village president Bhaskar Nayak and a ward member, Hajari had approached the local tehsil office to give him cash, instead. But they had to return harassed.
Instead of lessening his sufferings, the officials asked Hajari to open an account depositing Rs 1, 000 which he failed to do. Since then, he was left helpless.
Behera thanked the officials for the cash as tears of joy rolled down his eyes.
PNN
