A 70-year-old tribal woman from a remote village in Malda district had to be carried on a cot slung between two poles to a health centre due to the unmotorable condition of the village road.
Rani Soren, a resident of Ranjitpur village under Srirampur gram panchayat in Habibpur block, had been suffering from severe diarrhoea for days.
As her condition worsened at home, her family and neighbours decided to take her to the health centre on Friday.
The nearest promary health centre was 2km away from her home.
However, the road connecting the village to the health centre is in such a nad shape that ambulances or even e-rickshaws cannot ply on it.
Finally, her family decided to take her on a cot. Two men carried the cot through the muddy, squelchy road.
Although the incident occurred on Friday, the matter came to light after a video of the incident went viral on Sunday.
After initial treatment at the primary centre, Soren was referred to Malda Medical College and Hospital, where an ambulance was finally able to transport her.
The incident has drawn comparisons with a similar case from November 2023, when Mamuni Roy, a 25-year-old woman from neighbouring Bamangola block in Malda, was also carried to a hospital in the same manner. She succumbed to her illness, prompting administrative action in repairing that road.
Local political leaders quickly weighed in on the issue. Joel Murmu, the BJP MLA of Habibpur, slammed the state government.
“The chief minister claims 99 per cent of development is done. This is the ground reality. Where is the Pathashree scheme that promises repair of rural roads?” asked the BJP MLA.
Contacted, Sabitri Murmu, the Trinamool panchayat member of Srirampur, said: “The road repair is beyond the panchayat’s current budget capacity."
Subhamay Bose, district vice-president of Trinamool, called the incident “unfortunate” and promised that the road would be repaired soon.
Malda district magistrate Nitin Singhania said the administration had taken note of the matter and that immediate steps would be taken to address the road.