E-Paper
In Karnataka, woman taken to hospital in nearby village on 'makeshift stretcher'
In the absence of a hospital or transport connectivity, villagers carried the woman on a 'stretcher' made out of her charpoy, amid heavy rain. A video of the incident went viral on social media.
Residents of a village in Kempalikoppa in Sagar taluk of Karnataka's Sivamogga district were forced to carry a 45-year-old woman to a hospital in a nearby village as their village does not have a medical facility or transport connectivity, according to a report in Udayavani. The patient, Rathnamma, who complained of severe stomach pain, was taken to hospital amid heavy rain.
In the absence of any transport connectivity, a few young villagers prepared a makeshift stretcher out of her charpoy, and carried her to Kalagali village, at a distance of three kilometres. However, the youngsters made sure Rathnamma was fully covered with waterproof material.
Rathnamma's condition worsened by the time they reached Bellur bus stand in Kalagali. As of now, she is stable and improving, according to Udayavani.
A youth from the neighbouring village, Huliballi, recorded the incident and shared its video on social media, which went viral. In the past, several similar situations went unnoticed. In this case, the viral video brought this incident into the public domain, with details leaving the civil society "shocked."
Villagers from the interior areas of the Shivamogga district have often complained about the lack of facilities. The Karnataka government, too, has provided funds for developing roads and power network under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana. However, due to stringent rules of the forest department, electricity lines could not be laid in forest areas, as well as in tribal areas.
The forest department, however, has a version in its defense. The department, Udayavani points out in its report, is bound by the rules which were enacted in the "interest of the safety of wildlife." Also, there are several other issues affecting the development of roads and power supply networks in human habitations deep in the forests.
