Paralakhemundi: A 60-year-old man, who had been leading a secluded life inside a forest in Odisha’s Gajapati district for last five years, was brought back to his house at Merapalli village of Mohana block with the intervention of district administration.
Locals said Dukha Naik left the village around five years ago and had been living all alone in the forest near Merapalli and sustaining on roots and fruits since then.
Tragedy struck Dukha Naik when his wife passed away before Cyclone Titli. Soon after, his son got married and moved away leaving him alone in the village. As he was trying to overcome these personal setbacks, Cyclone Titli devastated his village and caused severe damage to his house. Left with no alternative, Dukha somehow stayed in his damaged abode and sustained by working menial jobs. After 2019, his worsening health condition prevented him from working. He was left at the mercy of the villagers
for food and his mental health is said to have gradually deteriorated before he suddenly went missing from the village, TNIE reported.
Although villagers were aware of his disappearance, no one gave it much thought. Some youths recently spotted Dukha on a hill and informed the villagers. They alerted social worker Anshuman Panda who along with Dukha’s friends went to ask him to return to the village but he initially refused. Panda said Dukha lived in a small hut in the forest he had constructed, wore a piece of tarpaulin and surviving by eating roots and fruits. He did not harm any animal.
The district administration swung into action after Panda and villagers informed Block Development Officer (BDO) of Mohana Rajib Das and sought their help in arranging housing and other basic necessities for Dukhs. The BDO along with Mohana Tehsildar Chakradhar Padhy, Civil Supplies Officer Satya Narayana Bhoi, Merapalli sarpanch Brajasundar Jani and panchayat executive officer P Balakrishna visited the forest on Wednesday and brought Dukha back to his village, the report said.
Later, the Tehsildar arranged for a haircut for Dukha and provided him new clothes and footwear. Polythene sheets were also provided to temporarily cover his damaged hut until a permanent house is sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).