E-Paper
UP village reports 15 deaths in month; scared villagers shun tests, inoculation
Residents of Lalau village in Akola block of Agra allege there are no health facilities, no sanitisation drive and no visits from officials.
The lanes in Lalau village in Agra, Uttar Pradesh are deserted for most of the day as villagers are yet to come to terms with the demise of 15 people in the past month. The health department sub-centre in the village rarely opens. Afraid of the recent deaths, villagers are not coming forward for Covid-19 tests and treatment. According to a rough estimate, only 20 per cent have been vaccinated, HT has learnt.
“From April 17 to May 5, 15 people have died but the exact reason is not specified. The screening team of the health department came on May 7 and two people were found Covid positive. They are in home isolation,” said Aman Chahar, a student in Agra who is also the district secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union.
He said only 20 to 25 per cent of people had been inoculated for Covid-19 in the village.
Located about 12 kilometres from Agra city, Lalau is a gram panchayat that is part of Akola block in Agra district.
The population of Lalau, which also has Laxmipur, another smaller village or majra, is about 6,000 with an equal number of Jats and Dalits and a few from the backward Baghel caste.
The village has a primary and junior high school till Class 8 and those interested in further studies either go to Akola, Malpura or Agra. The village has a literacy rate of 40 per cent and most of the villagers, mainly Dalits, work as labourers at local shoe factories or in Agra city while Jats work as both farmers and labourers.
‘Marghati’ is a place on gram panchayat land in the village where the deceased are cremated. After panchayat poll voting on April 15, ‘Marghati’ was a much-frequented place as villagers cremated about 15 people, including youths, facing untimely demise.
“There was no sanitization drive and village youths collected money on their own to carry out sanitization after so many deaths,” said Chahar.
“The sub-centre of the health department rarely opens, that also when the vaccination of the newborns is to take place. Otherwise, it remains locked for most of the year,” complained Omkar Chahar (39), a villager.
“As many as 15 deaths took place after voting for panchayat elections on April 15. No specific reason could be assigned to these deaths but most of those who died had a fever while some had breathlessness too. However, they did not get themselves tested for Covid-19 or any other disease,” said Omkar Chahar.
“We have never seen so many deaths in such a short time. Still, no public representative or official came here,” said a worried Omkar.
Villagers revealed that due to lack of health facilities, they fell prey to quacks practising in and around Akola and Malpura, the towns near Lalau village. Villagers are at ease paying ₹20 to ₹30 for medicines provided by these practitioners active at Naumeel crossing on Jagner Road.
Defecation in the open is a common trend, despite government-constructed toilets and raging pandemic.
However, Dr Sushil Kumar, medical officer in charge of Akola Community Health Centre (CHC), said he visited the village apart from the screening team that visited Lalau on May 8 as part of the statewide campaign in rural areas to trace, test and treat the villagers.
“The screening team referred one case for testing and one of the villagers was found corona positive. He was handed over a medicine kit on May 9 and advised home isolation. Medicine kits were also given to those complaining of fever and sore throat all over the village,” said Dr Sushil Kumar.
According to Dr Kumar, Lalau reported no corona deaths as yet. “With respect to other deaths, no communication was made to us,” he said.
When asked about health facilities in the village, Dr Sushil Kumar informed that there was a health department sub-centre in Lalau.
“The sub-centre is run by an ANM who has to visit nearby villages also besides remaining on constant move. So the sub-centre is closed at times,” Dr Kumar said.
