Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Apr 7: This is the story of a lady who was born in abject poverty, and has been neglected by father and younger brother. By the time she reached tenth standard, she lost control over her body below her waist. She does not have proper path to make frequent trips to hospital. Finally, she sold cows which were yielding eight litres of milk a day which the family was looking after with great difficulty. The mother and daughter have no food to eat, no road to go to hospital. A letter written by them to the deputy commissioner seeking euthanasia has been overlooked by the administration. All this is unfolding at Guddemmady Samsady in Senapura Bantwadi village in Byndoor taluk.

Amrutha Shetty (29) is the daughter of Samsady Gopal and Vasanthi couople. When studying in tenth standard at Kollur high school, Amrutha suddenly lost control over her legs. In course of time, the entire body below the waist went out of control. The doctors at A J Hospital Mangaluru treated her and performed surgery. She also was treated at NIMHANS Bengaluru but nothing happened. After spending lacs of rupees, she was taken to Udyavar for Ayurveda treatment where too there was no improvement. Then she went to a practitioner of native medicines at Ankola after which the complication has not worsened, say Amrutha and her mother Vasanthi.

The family fights even to have proper food. Amrutha has been seeking a path that can accommodate her wheel chair to reach her home but the district administration is deaf to her problem. She has sought euthanasia. The family is entirely dependent on monthly pension of Rs 3,000 she gets from the government as an endosulfan affected person, and Rs 1,000 from Dharmasthala Rural Development Project. Rent, medicines, travel expenses etc have to be met within this amount.

Sangam Friends have now come forward to the family's rescue by providing food items needed for a week. In course of time, they have promised to meet cost of travel and medicines. They have also promised to take forward fight on behalf of Amrutha.

It is hoped that the government, district administration and taluk administration will wake up to her problems and come to her help. She is badly in need of money. Those who are interested in helping her, may remit their contributions to Amrutha and Vasanthi's joint account with Vijaya Bank Nada Branch account No. 115401010013163 (IFSC VIJB 0001154), mobile No. 9900784356.