The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Secretary to save the villagers of Garipur in Bhuinbruti gram panchayat under Chandbali area who are suffering a lot without basic amenities.
Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, who has been fighting for the cause of the marginalised and deprived mass, had knocked the door of the NHRC because of the prolonged deprivation faced by the locals of the panchayat.
He had cited that there is no all weather road to the village inhabited by about 400 scheduled caste (SC) people. Besides, they are not given facilities such as medical, school and road communication for years due to the apathy of State administration. In case of fire in the village, the fire brigade van cannot move to the village to douse the fire and rescue life and property. During rainy season, the villagers face untold miseries. Neither the local leaders nor the Government officials pay any heed to the grievance of the unfortunate villagers, Radhakanta had alleged.
When pregnant ladies suffer from labour pain they are not carried by the vehicles to the hospital under the Janani Surakshya Yojana (JSY), while children often get injured by falling from a temporary bamboo bridge to cross a rivulet to approach school. There are instances of pregnant ladies giving birth to babies on the embankment of the rivulet, while waiting for local boat to reach the other side to avail medical treatment, he said.
Tripathy had pleaded with the apex human rights panel to direct the State Government to act swiftly to protect basic human rights of the villagers by providing them minimum amenities. He also requested the NHRC to direct the Government to immediately construct a bridge over the rivulet and construct an all weather road to the village from Chandbali so that it would ensure medical care to the pregnant ladies and safe communication to the children and senior citizens.
Besides, Tripathy demanded free and compulsory education to the children up to 14 years, safe drinking water and toilet to the BPl families.