Keonjhar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Collector of this district for denial of rights and harassment of physically challenged persons in receiving their pension due to lack of communication and inaction on the part of the local administration. It has asked the district Collector to ensure prompt remedial measures and submit the action taken report within a period of four weeks. Acting on a petition filed by human rights activist and Supreme Court advocate Radhakanta Tripathy, the NHRC issued the order. The petitioner drew the attention of the NHRC towards a very disturbing video that went viral on social media platforms.
In the video, a 74-year old destitute tribal lady, Pathuri Dehury, was seen crawling on the road for two kilometres to reach Raisun panchayat office under Telkoi block to collect her pension. The petitioner also mentioned about physically-challenged Madhav Jamuda, of Kuladera Village under Khuntapada block who also had to undergo a similar ordeal. Tripathy has requested NHRC to ask the concerned public authorities to ensure pension at the doorsteps of the physically challenged and also arrange wheelchairs for them. He also requested the Commission to direct the administration to the construction of all-weather roads as a top priority. In a separate case, the rights body has also issued a notice to the principal secretary of the state Women and Child Development department to submit a status report of the functional toilets in all Anganwadi centres and the steps taken by it for construction of the same in the centres that do not have one. The commission has also issued a notice to the district magistrate and ordered him to submit a pending report about the unfortunate demise of three children studying in an Anganwadi centre in this district.
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The deceased were Payal Patra, 3, Bharati Patra, 4, and Abhilipsa Patra, 3. Due to the absence of any toilet at the Anganwadi centre in Hatadihi block they were studying in they had gone out searching for one. In the process, they fell into an abandoned well full of water and drowned. The incident took place April 30, this year. The NHRC has asked whether compensation had been provided to the bereaved families and whether a toilet has been constructed at the centre. It has also issued an order asking all district collectors to construct toilets at those centres that do not have one.