Seraikela-Kharsawan administration has come in the rescue of 17-year-old tribal unwed mother, who gave birth to a girl child on the road in Chandil on Tuesday.
The Seraikela-Kharsawan district child welfare officer Santosh Kumar on Wednesday initiated the process for rehabilitating the 'unwed mother' at the Mahila Suraksha Griha at Chaibasa in West Singhbhum district.
“We have come into action as soon as we came to know. As the woman is helpless, we have decided to keep her at the Mahila Suraksha Griha, which is meant for destitute women. In Seraikela-Kharsawan district, we do not have such facility and hence she would be shifted to the neighbouring district,” said Kumar. The girl hails from Ruchap village of Chandil.
According to information, after the girl became pregnant about nine months ago, she continued to stay with her parents - father Shomal Singh Sardar and mother Purnima.
She delivered a child on the road, nearly 30 meters from the Chandil community health center, in neighbouring Seraikel-Kharsawan,on Tuesday morning. According to reports, despite request, there was delay in sending of ambulance for the girl who was crying in pain and delivered a girl child on the road and was later carried on an auto-rickshaw to the hospital.
Sources informed that when members of local panchayat came to know about pregnancy sometime in June they called a meeting. A source in Chandil block said the girl was summoned with her parents at the meeting. The panchayat later asked the parents to throw her away from home," said the source, who is a local villager.
As she was helpless, no one in the health department took her case seriously and an ambulance could not be provided on time from the community health centre, which compelled her to give birth to a baby on the road yesterday.
Sources said her mother Purnima was called to the Chandil Sub Divisional Hospital, where she was admitted alongwith her baby, last evening. On being forced by local administration her mother asked her to return to her house but she refused.
Civil surgeon of Seraikela-Kharsawan district A. P. Sinha said the girl has refused to go home despite repeated requests from her mother.