House Destroyed by Elephants, Woman Gives Birth In A Culvert

A woman gives birth in a culvert in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj after her house was destroyed by elephants six months ago

A woman gives birth in a culvert in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha

(Photo: ANI screengrab)

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar

A woman was forced to give birth in a culvert in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, after her house was destroyed by an elephant herd nearly six months ago. Adding to her miseries, her temporary shelter was also destroyed in a thunderstorm.

Pramila Tiria, along with her husband and six other children, had been spending her days under a tree and in a culvert during the night, after the government allegedly failed to provide her with any kind of assistance.

According to the Times of India, Pramila did not take any help from Anganwadi or Asha Didi, before childbirth.

She told TOI, “Over the last six months, me and my husband had approached the forest officials and the government authorities in the district, but failed to get any assistance.”

She did not get any help, not even a house. It is sad and shameful how the government is operating in this country. An elephant damaged someone’s house six months back but the government has not helped them yet. 

Sarina Hamran, Village Resident

NDTV quoted a district council member saying that Pramila did not get any ASHA services. The Accredited Social Health Activist or ASHA is one of the key components of the National Rural Health Mission, meant to provide every village in the country with a trained female community health worker.

Let me examine the matter, because I came to know about it only a few months back. The house was damaged by elephants and it will be probed by the forest officials. After that we can take some action to rehabilitate the family.

Gandhak Nayak, ADM, Mayurbhanj

Although the government officials have said that they are looking into the matter and will rehabilitate the family, any aid is yet to reach them.

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