ANGUL: A 14-year-old girl allegedly died of starvation in Bankhole village under Pallahara block on Sunday night. The girl, identified as Saraswati Dehuri, was living with her mother and 10 other siblings in a shanty in the village.Her father Paduka Dehuri was one of the displaced families of Rengali project and had been living in the village without any benefits for the past several years. Paduka, finding no means of livelihood to sustain his family, migrated to a neighbouring state as a bonded labourer leaving behind his wife, Kanduri. Though the family has a BPL card by which they manage to get rice, it fails to meet their needs. Kanduri’s efforts to get a house under IAY failed as the block and panchayat officials allegedly demanded ` 5,000 to allot one, she claimed. Saraswati was suffering from high fever for some days and had to go without food and it was a silent death on Sunday night. The couple’s other children too had taken ill. In the absence of any treatment or administration support, they are leading a pathetic life in the dingy room. Villagers alleged that no health official visited Bankhole to inquire about their health condition. According to Kanduri, four of her children have taken ill recently but could not avail of treatment due to lack of funds. The district administration is, however, oblivious to the situation. Local Sub- Collector Bhakta Charan Pradhan said, “I do not know anything regarding the death of Saraswati.”
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