THOOTHUKUDI: Officials from the state government have facilitated the repair of the prosthetic leg of a Sterlite police-firing victim, who previously claimed that the differently abled welfare department had refused to bear the maintenance cost, citing a lack of provision under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS). TNIE, in an article titled "Tamil Nadu man seeks help to maintain prosthetic leg as CM's insurance does not cover it" on May 23, highlighted the department's refusal to bear the prosthetic maintenance cost, which was pegged at Rs 93,555 according to an authorised service centre of the private prosthetics manufacturer.
The victim, G Princeton (27), was shot in the leg during the anti-Sterlite agitation in Thoothukudi on May 22, 2018, and his right leg was amputated. Following medical treatment, the state government provided him with a Rs 7.5-lakh-worth prosthetic leg, with a hydraulic knee joint, made by a German manufacturer. Sources said the differently abled welfare department had borne the maintenance cost of Rs 1.2 lakh in 2020 and Rs 80,000 in 2022. However, it refused to bear the maintenance cost in 2025, citing a lack of provision under the CMCHIS. Following the TNIE article, the office of Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi urged the department and CMCHIS officials to reconsider the man's plea and undertake the repairs.
Speaking to TNIE, Princeton said that the repair has been carried out and the officials handed him over the prosthetic leg on Thursday. CMCHIS district project officer R Vijay Anand said Princeton had demanded that the old prosthetic leg be repaired instead of getting a new artificial leg. The limb was repaired by the private firm's service centre in Tiruchy, through the Tamil Nadu Health System Project, he added.