A 17-year-old boy of Sundargarh now looks as if he is 70 years old. The boy's body grew black and lean and thin after some chemical fell on him at a factory in Surat where he had gone to work as a labourer.
Even if his poor parents took him to different hospitals with great difficulty for treatment, their efforts have yielded no result. They have now no money left for the ill-fated boy's further treatment.
Sources said Surendra Rana resides with his wife Raibari and three daughters and one son in Bamdera village under Bargaon block. Surendra and Raibari earns meager amount of money by working as daily wagers. Three daughters of Surendra and Raibari are good at studies but their poor financial condition is a hindrance. When Bharat, their only son, passed his 10th class, he thought of supplementing the family income. So he went to Surat with the help of a local person to work there six months ago.
After reaching at Surat, he had worked in a fish factory there. One day while he was working, a chemical product which keeps fish fresh for a long time fell on him and spread all over his body. Soon wounds appeared on his body and they did not heal. Finding no other alternative, Bharat returned home. But he did not look the same boy when he had left home three months ago.
Bharat's boy complexion was changed from white to dark. He has no hairs on his head. Due to the chemical reaction on his body, he looks frail and old. The poor parents of Bharat borrowed money from some local persons and took Bharat to various hospitals, including at Sundargarh, Rourkela and Burla for his treatment but to no avail. The doctors could not diagonise the decease, let alone curing it.
Bharat's further treatment and consultation with doctors has not been possible because there is no money left. After the shocking incident, Bharat is just stammering and it is very difficult to understand what he means. The parents and sisters of Bharat are simply shedding tears looking into his bleak future.
Meanwhile, Bargaon BDO Sushant Kumar Singh assured of taking steps for helping the distressed family. "I will will see that the boy gets necessary support from us at the earliest," he said when his attention was drawn into Bharat's case.