Sanju (top) and his family in front of their makeshift house
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has come to the help of Sanju, an 11-year-old differently-abled boy belonging to Kilimanoor in Thiruvananthapuram where they have provided electricity to his makeshift house made of mud. The five-member family living at Panappamkunnu at Kilimanoor doesn’t have a toilet facility either and has been knocking on all doors to have a proper roof over their head.
Sanju’s mother Manju carries him to Government LP School, Panappamkunnu, 600 m away from their house, where he is pursuing his fourth grade. While Jissa Saji, a special educator from the school visits Sanju’s home on Thursdays, Muthu Kumar from the Block Resource Centre trainer, Kilimanoor, provides him with training in life skills. Sanju has two elder brothers studying in seventh and first grades respectively.
With no electricity, the three children have never bothered to study at night. Manju’s husband, Sanal Kumar is illiterate and works as a rubber tapper. The family which lives in primitive conditions had approached the panchayat for a proper house but to no avail. It was another BRC trainer K S Vysakh who highlighted the plight of Sanju to the outside world. He told The New Indian Express that since the family doesn’t have any documents to prove their address, they have been unlucky to get a house under the LIFE scheme.
“For the last two weeks, the BRC has been providing food items to the family. When the KSEB authorities came to know of the lack of power at Sanju’s house, they took steps to provide it. We were taken aback to see that there was no toilet facility at his house,” said Vysakh.
Former Attingal MLA B Sathyan approached Biju, KSEB’s urban electrical circle deputy chief engineer, to provide power to Sanju on a war footing. KSEB employees at the Madavoor electrical section provided the cost of electrical wiring.
“We were happy to provide power to Sanju and his family who have been living in extremely poor conditions for the past 12 years,” Biju told The New Indian Express.
Manju who studied till eighth grade is unable to go to work as she has to take care of Sanju. A few months ago, Sanju had fallen into the well. But he had a miraculous escape after clinging to a rope. Since then Manju has not been going to work. S H Panchapakesan, the commissioner of Kerala State Commissionerate for Persons with Disabilities, has called for a hearing on Monday to take the next course of action.
