Bhubaneswar: The family members of the victims who sustained severe injuries in attack by a wild elephant last month have been running from pillar to post to get the financial assistance declared by the state government for their treatment.
Earlier, The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) had directed the Forest & Environment and Health departments to bear the medical expenses of the seven people injured in the tusker attack while the state government had declared a compensation of Rs 5,000 each to the injured.
However, the victims have not received any financial help from the government even though nine days have elapsed, while medical bills have been soaring every day. The family members also alleged that none of the Forest department officials has visited them.
Sk Samsher, a resident of Bhawanipur in Pipli, who was attacked by the elephant February 23, was rushed to the Capital hospital where the doctors referred him to SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) in Cuttack. However, his relatives admitted him to Sunshine Hospital at Laxmisagar area fearing that he might succumb on the way.
Samsher’s younger brother, Sk Amjed told Orissa POST, “We are yet to get any government assistance – neither the promised Rs 5,000 nor the free assistance as per the directions of OHRC. Similarly, the government officials are yet to visit my injured brother to take stock of her condition.”
“Rubbing salt into our wounds, the authorities sent us from one office to another when we personally went to offices seeking help from the government. The officials at Aranya Bhawan near Jayadev Bhawan sent us to Prakruti Bhawan at Sahid Nagar where we were told to approach the Forest department officials of Khurda. The manner in which we are being treated by officials is a cruel joke. ”
Similarly, another relative of a lady, Chabi Dei, 47, of village Telahala in Balanga, expressed his anguish over the approach of the officials. Several bones of Chabi’s ribcage waist and spinal cord got fractured due to the jumbo attack, February 23.
Her son-in-law told Orissa POST, “The forest officials visited us and gave Rs 5,000 for the treatment just the next day. However, the CDMO of Puri refused to give his signature on the application to get further financial assistance from Forest department. We were handed over a medical bill of Rs 3.5 lakh by the private hospital and we are unable to pay it.”