No end to Melghat's sufferings

BORAKHYAKHEDA (Melghat): Mirku Chilate is a teenaged tribal girl from remote Boratyakheda village which symbolized the dark side of Melghat. She is anaemic while her two-year-old daughter Sanjivani is malnourished. Their village is the one seemingly forgotten by the development agencies where children are born and live (if they are lucky). But malnutrition is their companion.
NCP leader and MP Supriya Sule, who visited Melghat on Friday as part of her day-long tour, found how difficult life is for tribals in Melghat. She was visibly moved when Mirku greeted her with a distraught look and blank eyes.
Boratyakheda is a small hamlet in Chikhaldara block of Melghat with a population 835. The villagers live without basic facilities like roads, potable water, health and power. Simply put, there seems to be no hope in sight. Sule visited anganwadi and school in Boratyakheda where she met Mirku who was standing in a corner with Sanjivani. Sule enquired about her health and her baby. Mirku told her that she got married and became mother at the age of 16. Mirku's daughter Sanjivani is malnourished and suffers from scabbies.
According to experts, malnutrition is a vicious circle that begins with child marriage and ends with infant death. Girls get married at a very young age and deliver babies with low weight. With healthcare facilities nearly absent, the newborn become malnourished and succumb to various diseases.
Nutritious food provided by the government at anganwadi offers a little hope to malnourished children. Tragedy is that all the tribals cannot take benefit of the scheme. Mirku is one of them. She told Sule that she works in a farm and therefore cannot bring her daughter to the anganwadi.
Around 11,040 infant deaths have been reported in the region due to malnutrition from 1993 to September 2011. Like Mirku, many women of Melghat have a similar story to tell. Lack of awareness, unemployment, superstitions and pathetic education scenario has aggravated malnutrition.
Sule told TOI that the problem of malnutrition is partially a social issue. "Health infrastructure is insufficient, education needs to be strengthened and the region needs proper implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNRES)." Sule said she would take up the issue with the chief minister and governor of Maharashtra.
She said that it should be ensured that the officials working in the region serve here at least for five years. Lack of connectivity in the region is a big hurdle, she said. "I observed that wherever there is a good road connectivity, the condition of primary health centres and health units is better than places where there is no access," Sule said. The government allocates sufficient funds for Melghat development every year. "Proper implementation of government schemes is needed," she said.
When asked why no significant development is seen in Melghat villages despite the launch of various schemes, Sule cited political compulsions as the reason. She said that the government should also share the blame for pitiable condition of tribals in Melghat.
State health minister Faujiya Khan said that lack of co-ordination in various departments is one of the problems that has affected development in Melghat.
Sule's visit to Melghat rekindles tribals' hopes
Hopes of people living in hilly terrain of Melghat were rekindled on Friday when NCP leader and MP Supriya Sule visited remote villages and got first hand information about the problems they faced. She assured that she would make efforts to redress grievances.
Melghat has reported more than 11,000 infant deaths since 1993.
Sule, who started her journey from Amravati, visited five villages in Chikhaldara block of Melghat. She reviewed the situation with former NCP MLA Sulbha Khodke and ZP member Sangeeta Thakare. She later met NGO representatives in Paratwada who apprised her of the problems of Melghat region. She first visited primary health unit at Bihali village and communicated with villagers. Impressed by the techno-savvy PHU in Bihali where ANM creates awareness among tribals by using audio-visual clippings on computer, she sought details of malnourished children. She said she felt happy that there was no severely malnourished child under Bihali PHU. When she was told that Babli, a tribal girl, who was suffering from sickle cell had not received the mandatory card, she was derived of proper treatment. Sule directed the officials to get sickle cell card immediately and told Babli to write her a letter once she gets the card.
She realized how difficult life is for people as a 15-km journey from Semadoh to Borakkhyakheda took around one-and-a-half hours to cover as the roads are full of potholes. She visited the primary school and anganwadi. To ensure quality of food, she tasted khichadi and usal provided to malnourished children in anganwadi. Villagers told Sule that roads in the region are hellish. They said that they had problems right from unavailability of pure drinking water to health facilities. Villagers told her that their children want to study but there are lack of education facilities after the fourth standard, Ashramshalas are meant to provide food to students and not education. The condition of ashramshalas is also pathetic.
Sule then visited Retyakheda and inspected anganwadi which was running in a kaccha room. She talked to some children in the school. She then went to Raipur and visited library and interacted with villagers. Villagers are now expecting a solution to their problems.
Revised copy copy Supriya Sule visit copy Vaidehi More | tnn Borakhyakheda (Melghat): The people from the hilly terrain of Melghat hope NCP MP Supriya Sule's visit would improve their lot. Villagers narrated her their plight and how they want an affective solution to their problems and visible development in the area 'forgotten by all'. Sule was in Melghat to get a firsthand information about the region which has reported more than 11,000 infant deaths since year 1993 due to malnutrition. On way from Amravati, Sule visited five remote villages in Chikhaldara block of Melghat. NCP MLA Sulbha khodke and ZP member from Melghat Sangeeta Thakare apprised her about the situation at Melghat. Sule met NGO representatives in Paratwada who listed out the problems of Melghat region. She visited Primary Health unit of Bihali village and communicate with the villagers. Impressed with techno savvy PHU where ANM create awareness amongst tribal by using audio visual clippings. She asked ANM about the malnourished children in the region was pleased when told that there was no severely malnourished child under Bihali PHU. But there was one tribal girl Babli suffering from sickle cell anemia. As she has not received sickle cell card she was derived of proper treatment. Sule directed officials to get sickle cell card immediately and told Babli to write to her once she gets the card. A team of doctors accompanied Sule to her Melghat visit. At Borakhyakheda she visited primary school and anganwadi and tasted 'khicdi' and 'usal' to ascertain the quality of food given to the malnourished children. Villagers told Sule that they need potable water, schools and good roads. Sule took note of the villagers demands. At Retyakheda village, she visited Anganwadi which was being run from a dark, kuchha, room. She spoke to some children and later visited Raipur village where she visited library and interacted with villagers. Sule's visit may have rekindled the hopes of the villagers, but say that politicians visit Melghat and make promises. "Hope this time there's some action too," some villagers told TOI.