CUTTACK: Deprived of any housing or food security benefit under government schemes, a retired adhoc Grade-4 employee of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has been living a life of misery in an abandoned auxiliary nurse midwifery (ANM) quarters at Gunupur village in Mahanga along with his family for the past two years.
To add to their woes, 71-year-old Gangadhar Mishra, his wife Kamala (68), widowed daughter Subhashree (36) and granddaughter sustain with a meagre Rs 3,000 provided under old-age and widow pension schemes.
A native of Gunupur village, Gangadhar worked as a peon in the dispatch section of the CMC since 1985. However, when he retired from service in 2014, Gangadhar could not avail any pensionary benefit as his service had not been regularised.
During service, he used to reside in a rented accommodation at Haripur with his family comprising his wife, daughter and son Manoj who worked with a security agency. Though Subhashree got married in 2018, her husband died of heart attack the next year when she was pregnant, following which she moved back to her parents.
Their plight worsened when Manoj decided to stay separately after he got married in 2019. Left with no other option, Gangadhar moved out of the house in Haripur and worked as a labourer to make ends meet. When his health condition deteriorated with age, Gangadhar decided to move back to his village Gunupur in 2021.
However, he found that his village home had been destroyed by Cyclone Fani. Having no other choice, the family took shelter at people’s verandahs until they found the abandoned ANM quarters.
Gangadhar then took permission from the local sarpanch and started living there in 2022. After much efforts, Gangadhar, his wife and widowed daughter could avail old-age and widow pension amounting to Rs 1,000 each before the recent general elections.
Sharing his hardships, Gangadhar said he had been running from pillar to post to get a house under PMAY or a ration card under National Food Security Act. “It is very difficult to manage a four-member family with just Rs 3,000,” he said.
Moreover, the amount is not enough to meet the medical expenses incurred due to old age. “My wife Kamala has been suffering from many age-related ailments but we are unable to manage the medical expenses. At least, a ration card and house under PMAY will bring much relief,” Gangadhar said.
Mahanga BDO Biswa Ranjan Biswas said, “Steps would be taken to provide Gangadhar a house under PMAY and a ration card under NFSA after we receive a fresh application from him.”