TIRUPPUR: Lack of road forced a tribal family at Kuzhipatti in Udumalaipet to carry a pregnant woman on a dholi through a forest area on Wednesday. The woman was down with stomach ache, following which her husband and uncle carried her on their shoulders in a cradle made of sarees tied to a pole.
Kuzhipatti Forest Tribal Right Committee president N Murugan said,
“More than 170 families belonging to Malai Pulaiya community are living in Kuzhipatti. Saranya (28) suffered from abdominal pain for the past two days. Since, she was four months pregnant, the family decided to take her to Udumalaipet GH, but they were left with few options. There is another tribal settlement named Kurumalai three kilometres away but the road is slushy. ”
He continued, “They decided to take her to Ponna Amman Solai a spot from where they could arrange a van for the 20-km ride to Udumalaipet GH. But, there isn’t any road to Ponna Amman Solai, a forest pathway through boulders and water streams. The family used three sarees to make a cradle and tied it to a long pole. Saranya’s husband Vijayan and uncle Nagappan struggled to carry her through the rough terrain. After more than three hours, they took her woman to Ponna Amman Solai and reached Udumalaipet around 6 pm.”
When contacted, an official in the district administration said,’We have submitted a proposal to the government to build a road between Kurumalai and Thirumoorthy malai. Also, we will arrange medical camp for the tribals.”