Padmapaur: Parbati Datt, an elderly woman who was abandoned by her husband, has been living a miserable life under a polythene sheet for last 16 years at Mishrapur under Basudevpur block in Bhadrak as she has been unable to use her land caught in a dispute.
Parbati has no child or kin to look after her. Now, she virtually lives under the sky – under a polythene sheet supported by two pillars, which can hardly be called a shanty.
She has reared some goats that keep her going.
In 2002, Parbati had bought six decimal of land from one Rajendra Ray at Dadhibamanpur. She has even got a patta for the land from Basudevpur tehsil.
Sadly, some unscrupulous people fraudulently grabbed the land during land consolidation in 2013. Her land has been made part of MS khata 252, plot 396.
Acting on a complaint by Parbati, Balimeda RI conducted an on-the-spot investigation and submitted a report to the tehsildar. It was found that her land was wrongly included in another plot.
Besides, additional tehsildar of Basudevpur has written to the Nayakanidiha IIC to ensure Parbati gets possession of the land. The matter has also been put up before the Consolidation Commissioner for correction of the map.
Parbati alleged that another person Manibhadra Mallick often threatens her of consequences if she claimed the land.
She is now tired of frequenting the police station and tehsil office, which have turned to be futile so far.
It is unfortunate that the administration is yet to come to her rescue. She now wants to take up the issue with the SP. Meanwhile, locals have demanded that the woman is given legal aid.
PNN