Patients suffer due to absence of road connectivity in Uttarakhand hills
Patients suffer due to absence of road connectivity in Uttarakhand hills
B.D. Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, July 14
Despite tall claims of the Uttarakhand government about improved health and medical facilities in the mountainous areas and other infrastructure leading to stoppage of migration from hills, the ground situation remains pathetic despite quarter of a century of formation of separate hill state.
The latest case of misery of common people has been reported from remote situated Malupati village of Munsiyari where a 66 years’ old Asthama patient died due to delay in getting him admitted to a hospital as the village has neither road connection nor youths available to carry the patients up to road at a distance of 1.2 km from the village. “After Dhan Singh (66), suffered for 4 days, we had to call youths of our village who study or work at a distance of 150 km at Pithoragarh town, who took him to hospital where he died following delay in his treatment, “said Bhupendra Singh Mahara, a former Gram pradhan of the village.
“Our village has 25 youths in 50 family village but all are out from village, while some work or study in distant Pithoragarh town while others are working in Delhi, Gujrat, Mumbaikar or other places,” said Bhupendra Singh Mahra.
” As our youths cannot settle in village due to absence of livelihood opportunities in the village, we need road from Chauna to our village on 1.2 km long straight portion so that our village could get road connectivity,” said Singh.
There were several other incidents in remote border villages of the district from where incidents of absence of youth result in difficulties of taking dead bodies to the cremation ground. In one such incident, jawans of Sahastra Seema Bal (SSB), a para-military force manning the Indo-Nepal border had to help cremate the dead body of 78 years Jhoopa Devi, resident of Tarigaon village at Indo-Nepal border, in January 2026 .
“It is 7th case where patients had to suffer and second case of death due to non- availability of a motor road to the village. We have lost 2 persons while 5 pregnant women had to suffer before admitted to local hospital,” said the former Gram pradhan of the village
“This year we have decided to boycott assembly elections ‘Road nahi to vote nahi’ .”said the former pradhan.
