No road access, ailing woman carried 11km on palanquin in Uttarkashi

Uttarkashi: A 56-year-old woman suffering from high fever, vomiting and diarrhoea had to be carried nearly 11km on a ‘dandi-kandi’ (palanquin) from Seva village in Uttarkashi to reach the nearest motorable road at Dhauli before being taken to a hospital in Mori block for treatment. On Thursday, she was referred to a higher medical centre in Delhi.The incident took place on Tuesday when Khantra Devi suddenly fell ill and collapsed. With no road access to the village, residents carried her on a palanquin along a steep and narrow mountain trail to Dhauli, from where she was taken to hospital by vehicle.The incident has once again highlighted the hardships faced by residents of remote villages in the district, where lack of road connectivity continues to create serious challenges, especially in transporting patients and pregnant women to hospitals.Villagers said such ordeals are common and often the only way to transport the sick, with some patients even dying on the way to medical facilities. They added that road construction connecting Dhaula to Seva village began nearly a decade ago but remains incomplete, leaving residents without proper access to healthcare and other essential services.“During the monsoon, the village gets completely cut off. We have repeatedly informed the govt and administration, both verbally and in writing, but no action has followed,” said a resident.Responding to the issue, PMGSY assistant engineer Subhash Dauriyal said, “Road construction work for Seva village is underway and efforts are being made to complete the project at the earliest.”