Although the State Government in Odisha boasts of several welfare programmes for the poor people, it appears there is no agenda for those homeless ones who are taking shelter in streets.
Such a case has come to the fore at Bilaipada, about 3 km away from Joda town, where an old woman has been for the last six months sleeping on footpaths or on veranda of shops.
Sources revealed that Basanti Mishra is an inhabitant of Krishnapur Malisahi of Chandabali under Bhadrak district. She has her husband and sons but she had to leave home for Puri because of family dispute and on her way she landed here. With no money to sustain and no acquaintances, she is sitting on the side of NH-215 throughout the day and when the cold nights of winter sets in, she is taking shelter in the veranda of any local shop or by a road. Nobody asks if she was eating anything or going unfed. The matter is known to the Government officials, including local police and public representatives, but they have deliberately chosen to shut their eyes to the plight of the old woman.
However, thanks to efforts by locals like Panchu Barik who manages his family from low income of a saloon and Suryakanta Mahanta , a medicine shopkeeper, the hapless homeless woman is getting meals these days.
There is a demand here that the district administration should send the misfortune old woman to her home or hand over her to any old age home in district or the State.