Paralakhemundi: Lack of proper road allegedly claimed the life of a six-month pregnant woman of Nirladikia village under Mohana block of Odisha’s Gajapati district.
The woman, Mamata Mallick, had to be carried for 3 km in a makeshift stretcher to Community Health Center (CHC) at Mohana after she developed some complications. Her condition worsened because of the delay and she was referred to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. She, however, succumbed at the health facility.
Family members hired a hearse van to take the body back to the village. However, it got stuck midway, forcing them to again trek back with the body for over 3 km.
The villagers claimed that all their pleas to local authorities to improve road access in the area have fallen on deaf ears. “The mother of a 4-year-old son was pregnant with her second child. She could have been saved had she been admitted to the hospital on time,” rued a village ward member.