The poverty ridden student Anuj Kumar (12) was hit by his teacher and paralysed for life and is in hospital since the incident. The worst – all his dreams to stand and walk again are lost in letters bound by red tape rampant in welfare State of India!
Surendra Ram, 40, Anuj’s father knocked all possible doors to help him financially so that he could afford the treatment of his son — paralysed below his waist-line and has been bed — ridden since December 2010.
But all he got are only letters directed from higher offices and redirected to the ‘subordinate’ offices.
Responding to his petition, the President’s House on April 30, 2013 had written to the Chief Secretary — a copy of the letter is also with The Pioneer — of the State inviting appropriate actions to help him.
In his petition Ram had requested a financial help of five lakhs and arrange for the treatment of his son in “better hospitals” like Apollo or All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
The PMO has also written to the secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare and to the Chief Secretary of NCT of Delhi New Delhi, forwarding Rams’ petitions.
Ram is now residing in a ‘dharamshala’ at Safdarjung Hospital for the last two years.
And this ‘campaign’ of letter writing had gone on and on. “Kuchh nhi mila hai sahab do salon se. pata nhi kya hoga mere bachhe kaIJ (I have received no help. I don’t’ know what will happen to my childIJ),” sayid dejected Ram over phone from New Delhi on Tuesday.
The office of Chief Secretary of Jharkhand has shown not much interest in helping the poor man out. “I have seen the letter. As far as the action taken in that regard is concerned all I can say is that the letter has been forwarded to the department concerned,” said a senior official in CS office.
When the department concerned was contacted they had no information if any such letter was received from the office.
“Please dictate me the letter number and I will confirm you if any such letter has been received,” said the person in the Social Welfare department.
The poor man has sold all his belongings and taken debt from his relatives so much so that his relatives have now denied any further help.
He prayed to all possible office starting from the office of Palamu DC – the district he belongs to, to the Governor of the State, to Prime Minister Office, to Sonia Gandhi and above all to the President of India also.
All he got (not from all these offices but from few) was letter from these offices addressed to the “concerned” department for taking “appropriate actions”.
No financial assistance had come till date except once (of Rs. one lakh) that had come from PMO in December last year – two years after the incident — when The Pioneer had first reported the cruelty the student was subjected to.