Sonepur: Despite her physical deformities, she is taking care of her 80-year-old mother and differently abled 45-year-old younger sister.
She is Pankajini Haripal, aged 50, of Khuntabandh village of Baghia panchayat under Tarabha block in Sonepur district. Already having had enough in her life, she expresses her utter dismay at not being eligible to get a pucca house under any government schemes.
Pankajini does have hands and legs but are as short as eight to nine inches. She has to crawl on the ground to reach anywhere. Her sister Shakuntala is differently abled by birth. And her mother Laxmi Haripal has also lost her mobility owing to problems associated with old age.
This family depend on neighbours to get water from tube well. For cooking, they have to wait till someone brings water for them. In spite of hundred per cent disability, she has never ever complained of getting tired of taking care of her family.
The only complain she has that they have not received a pucca house as yet. “Sir, we are living in a decrepit mud house. In rainy season, rain water comes through the damaged roof, making the house unfit to live in. Then we take shelter under neighbours’ roofs. For a pucca house, I have met all starting from panchayat samiti member to the block chairman. I visited the panchayat office in Tarabha block office, crawling. But we have not been fortunate as yet,” she said to this correspondent who visited her house.
“I even went to the District Collector’s office covering a distance of 45 kilometres to report my grievance at the grievance cell. I also met finance minister and local MLA Niranjan Pujari and requested his intervention for a pucca house. But none has come forward to help us,” she complains.
Local non government organisations are also doing little for this family.
“We are getting PDS rice and pension. Now we are waiting for a pucca house. Local political leaders, ineligible beneficiaries and even rich people are getting pucca houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana. We are yet to understand why we have been denied such one,” she sobs out.
When asked why the family has not been received a house, Tarabha block development officer (BDO) Chinmayee Kuanr said the family has not been included in Socio-Economic and Cast Census (SECC) list. So the family is not getting a pucca house under the government schemes. “Application has been forwarded to get the family included in the list. Once included, preference will be given to the family,” she said.
Expressing their dissatisfaction over a family not being included in SECC list for past several years despite them being hundred percent differently-abled, Khuntabandh villagers said the family may have to wait till eternity to get a pucca house.
PNN