BENGALURU: The apathy of a civic agency has ruined the life of yet another citizen in the city. An unattended pit was responsible for the amputation of a 30-year-old woman’s leg. The woman was scheduled to get married in three months.
The young woman, Shaheen Taj, had to amputate her left leg three days ago after she fell into an unattended pit left by a Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board (BWSSB) contractor on the morning of April 14.
That ill-fated morning, Shaheen stepped outside her house on Maruti Swamil Road in Thannisandra for a walk. Just outside her house was a one-and-a-half-foot-deep pit dug by the BWSSB contractor. Water had accumulated near pit that caused her to slip, with her left foot going into the pit. Her foot got stuck in the pit and the impact caused her a severe injury. Hearing her screams, residents rushed to her aid and pulled her foot out.
“Her left knee was in bad shape. She couldn’t rest her leg on the floor,” said Akhtar Begum, a resident. Shaheen was taken to a hospital close by where doctors said her knee was dislocated. Her parents decided to take her to Puttur for traditional bone-setting. However, the pain did not subside. Instead, a series of red boils started appearing on the affected leg.
She was taken to several hospitals and finally to St John’s Hospital, where doctors informed her that her leg was severely infected as gangrene had set in. Her leg had to be amputated, which was done on May 1. “We still think that all this is a lie and it’s a dream. We had told the BWSSB contractors several times to complete the work fast and not leave the pit open as even children play near the house. However, they didn’t listen and my child faced the consequences. She was to get married in three months, but now we are not sure if that will ever happen,” said Taj’s mother, Naseemunissa.
“I can't believe I lost my leg. It feels like I have lost my life,” said Shaheen. Her father Rahman Pasha works as a painter. He said he doesn’t have enough savings and they are going through a lot of difficulty in to pay for Shaheen’s bills. “So far the bill has touched Rs 50,000. It will continue going up and we are just taking loans from relatives and friends. I have no clue how I will be able to clear all the debts,” he said.
A BWSSB executive engineer of Byatarayanapura, who did not want to be named, said, “This issue wasn’t even brought to our notice. In all, 550 km of UGD lines are being laid in 15 different villages. Work at Thannisandra is happening rapidly and all the places are getting dug up. We want to finish it within six months.”
Corporator Mamtha K M from Thannisandra ward said, “I visited the hospital and it is really sad to see this happen. It is because of one of the department’s faults. From my end I have given the parents Rs 20,000. I will seek the support of the government for further expenses.”