*Another bed-ridden for 8 months crying for help
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 25: After losing both of his upper limbs while at work in Jammu, a middle- aged daily wage employee of the Power Development Department (PDD) has been left to face hunger and starvation along with his family by the State Government.
Sham Lal, hailing from Kunjwani, lost his both the limbs while working on a live power line due to the fault of others, in Gnagyal area during 2012. He was performing his duty when the mishap took place. The Government provided just Rs one lakh assistance while poor family spent more than Rs 7 lakh on the treatment at Jammu and Ludhiana. Doctors had to amputate both the limbs.
The only earning member in the family, he has now been totally dependent on his wife and three children. He even can not eat or drink himself. His children were forced to leave studies as there was no help from the Govt/ his own department where he was serving since 2010.
Talking to the Excelsior, Sham said that with the intervention of the then local MLA Raman Bhalla his wife was given job as class IV employee by PDD but for the last one and half year, no salary is being given to her by the PDD authorities. She has been forced to work in the houses of people to earn bread. He said elder daughter and son have been forced to work for feeding themselves and him. Sham said he himself moved to the top officers of the PDD, MLA and even some ministers but got only false assurances and nothing else.
Sham said the fate of all the daily wagers/ need based workers in the PDD is very dark and they should learn a lesson from his condition. The attitude of the Govt towards such employees who are working at the risk of their life is totally apathetic and they in return are getting nothing, he added.
” I gave my both limbs to PDD while working and in turn got just one lakh and now facing starvation. Those still working must take lesson from my condition,” he maintained.
Another, need based worker of PDD – Fareed hailing from Chatta area near Sunjuwan in Jammu, has almost lost his one limb in a mishap while at work. The young boy was called by the Junior Engineer to rectify the fault. He was told that power has been shut down and climb on the pole and start work. But some one at the Power Station released the power and he received severe shocks and fell down from the pole and now has lost his one arm. This daily wager is on the bed for the last eight months and crying for help but the PDD has turned blind eye towards his fate.
Talking to the Excelsior, Fareed said,” I started work on the instructions of the JE Kamaljit to rectify fault. I met with such a tragic mishap on Feb 7 this year due to the negligence on the part of staff at power station. This JE neither came to see him or even called him on phone just to inquire about my health. Such are the people at the helm of affairs,” he added.
Fareed said his urinary system has collapsed, one limb has gone. He is bed ridden as received multiple fractures and injuries. The family has spent about Rs 14 lakh on the treatment. No assistance has been provided by the department. Even he is not getting the wages.
“Nearly Rs 15,000 per month are being spent on my medicines and other things. I have borrowed huge money from relatives. It will be very difficult for me to clear the debt. It would have been better I had died on the same day,” a shattered Fareed with tears in his eyes revealed.
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