“Very state of affairs”: HC raps Maharashtra govt over malnutrition deaths in Melghat

Bandu Sane, an activist who has been working in tribal belts in the Melghat region, had highlighted that between May 2019 and 2021, 257 children died, and over 11,000 were underweight

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday criticised the Maharashtra government for its “extremely casual approach” over the issue of malnutrition among children in the state. Stating that it is not happy with the government’s lax attitude, the court noted that 65 infants aged between zero and six months have died due to malnutrition in the Melghat from June till now. “This is horrific. The government should be concerned, just as we are”, the court said.

Bombay High Court at Fort, (HT Archives) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

The division bench of justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh Patil was hearing a bunch of Public Interest Litigations (PIL) raising concern about the prevalence of severe malnourishment amongst tribal children and recurring death of pregnant women, particularly from Melghat and Dharni regions in Vidarbha.

In August 2021, a petitioner informed the court that due to a lack of proper medical facilities in Melghat, an estimated 900 children could die due to malnutrition. He added that children and expectant mothers not only from Melghat, but also from 11 other sensitive tribal areas such as Nandurbar and Palghar, were affected by insufficient medical aid.

Further, Bandu Sane, an activist who has been working in tribal belts in the Melghat region, had highlighted that between May 2019 and 2021, 257 children died, and over 11,000 were underweight. He added that the situation was grave as there were no paediatricians or gynaecologists, and the government only assigned doctors qualified with a Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine, and Surgery (BAMS) to the region. The court noted that despite a 2001 judicial order directing the state to construct a multi-speciality hospital in the area, it has taken no action. It also highlighted that while the government claims to have everything in order, the “ground reality” is very different. “This shows your seriousness towards the issue. There is a lot of answering that you have to do. We are not happy with the manner in which this is being done,” it said.

Noting the poor health infrastructure in the area, the bench raised questions about the government’s accountability. “This is a very sorry state of affairs. There has to be some accountability,” the court said, and scheduled the next hearing on November 24.