A.P. tribal woman gives birth on road

A 28yearold woman from a tribal hamlet in Andhra Pradesh delivered a baby by the wayside in the early hours of Monday.

Killo Vasantha, hailing from a tribal community in Cheedivalasa village of Alluri Sitharamaraju district, developed labour pains around 4 a.m., and her family members dialled 108 for emergency ambulance. Though the ambulance arrived at the nearest point, about one km away from the village, it could not reach the village as there was no motorable road.

Her husband Bhaskara Rao and some women of the village then carried her along the kutcha pathway from the village.

But before they could reach the ambulance, she delivered a baby girl by the wayside.

She suffered heavy bleeding and the ambulance staff came on foot to give her medical care. They also helped the villagers in moving the woman to the ambulance. She was later shifted to the Health Centre at Hukumpeta.

‘Funds siphoned off’ CPI(M) district secretariat member K. Govinda Rao alleged that roads were not laid in the tribal hamlets although funds to the tune of crores of rupees were being drawn under various heads like the MGNREGS, and siphoned off by unscrupulous contractors over the years. Politicians come before every general election and promise to lay roads, but fail to implement them, he said.

Deputy Sarpanch Killo Nageswara Rao and the villagers say a road was sanctioned in 2017 under the MGNREGS. Earthmovers were brought in and work started, but was stopped mid way. Though funds were sanctioned, the work did not restart. The villagers demanded immediate completion of the road to ensure that pregnant women and sick persons get timely medicare.