Bhubaneswar, Oct. 27: The condition of the newborn girl, who was found lying near a drain at Unit-VIII yesterday, is critical.

Doctors at the intensive care unit of Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack said the girl child was barely 48 hours old and had been badly bitten by ants and insects all over the body.

The baby was rescued after residents informed the Nayapalli police station about a newborn lying abandoned beside a drain.

"The baby is critical. We are treating her, but it will take time for her to improve. She has been kept in the ICU," said Saroj Satapathy, head of the department of paediatrics and superintendent of Sishu Bhavan.

"The baby is just over 48 hours old and it is clear that she was delivered at a hospital or nursing home. She has breathing problems and convulsions have begun," he said.

A doctor said institutional delivery could be confirmed by seeing how the umbilical cord had been cut. If it is clamped with a clip, it indicates delivery done under medical supervision. In case of a crude delivery, a newborn usually has a tied or bleeding belly button. Social activists have expressed concerns over the incident.

"Dussehra celebrations have ended and Lakshmi Puja has begun. Though people worship female divinity, in reality the girl child remains unwanted even to the urban populace. In this particular case, the institutional delivery of the child indicates that her parents are financially sound. But the bias against a girl child is such that her parents preferred to abandon the newborn beside a drain and not leave her at an orphanage," said Namrata Chaddha, an activist.

Child Welfare Committee officials, who went to see the baby, said no one had claimed her yet.

"We are sincerely observing her progress and once she is completely healthy, we will take up the case for her rehabilitation. For this, we will first register an FIR and also publish the news in at least two daily newspapers to inform her parents. In case no one claims the child, she will be declared free for adoption," said Benudhar Senapati, a member of the Child Welfare Committee.