No road, no ambulance: Critically ill Bastar man carried 10 km on cot

Raipur: The stark absence of basic infrastructure in the interior pockets of Bastar, decades after independence, was laid bare once again at Porohidma in the Dantewada district of Bastar division after a critically ill tribal man had to be carried 10 km on a cot because an ambulance could not reach the village.The patient, identified as Muchaki Joga, had been unwell for nearly a week. As his condition deteriorated, family members attempted to call the state-run ambulance service. However, the vehicle had to stop well short of the village due to the absence of a motorable road.Left with no other option, relatives and villagers designed a makeshift stretcher using a wooden cot and ropes. Taking turns, they carried Joga on their shoulders across rocky, uneven terrain and forest tracks for nearly 10 kilometres to reach the nearest accessible road point, from where transport to a hospital could be arranged.Residents say the ordeal was not an isolated incident but a recurring reality.Sunil Sodhi, a local resident, alleged that despite repeated pleas, the village still lacks a proper road. No motorable road has been built in our village till date. Whenever someone falls sick or a pregnant woman goes into labour and needs to be taken to a hospital, we have to carry them on a cot like this. We have cried ourselves hoarse pleading with the authorities, but nothing has changed," he told TOI.While official narratives highlight digital expansion and development outreach in Maoist-affected districts, they said that on many occasions, the information doesn't reach the headquarters.In light of the latest such incident, however, officials said they would inquire into it.