Kaptipada: Kaptipada block administration rescued an elderly woman from a pit where she had been living for eight long years.
This incident was reported from Rangamatia village of Sharat panchayat under Kaptipada block in Mayurbhanj district Wednesday.
After rescuing her, the administrative officials have rehabilitated her at an old age home in Baripada, it was learnt.
The rescued woman has been identified as 70-year-old Sulochana Mahakud of Rangamatia village under ward no-8. Back in the day, Sulochana had a very happy family. Until her husband was alive, she was living a happy life. After her husband’s death, her life took a turn for the worst, bringing in all sorts of difficulties. Her sons and daughters-in-law stopped taking care of her. Her plight did not end there. She was even driven out of her house, leaving her to her fate.
Finding no place to take shelter under, she dug a hole in a field, put some boulders near it, tied a polythene sheet to them and stretched it over the hole, and started living in it.
According to the villagers, frail Sulochana cannot work to earn her livelihood. “If she is alive to date, it is only because of the 10kg rice that she is receiving under Annapurna Yojana,” they added.
After coming to know about Sulochana and her difficulties, Odisha Agro Industries Corporation, chairman Debasis Mohanty and Karanjia legislator Basanti Hembram took her case up with the district administration.
Acting on the district collector’s direction, district social welfare officer, Naresh Chandra Bindhani, some other officials and rural development society (RDS), secretary, Bijay Kumar Behera reached the spot and rescued Sulochana.
PNN