Government Hospital Officer adopts ST Colony

Moved by the plight of the residents of the ST Colony near Gattu village of Nesanur panchayat in Puttur mandal, impoverished for decades, Senior Medical Officer of the Government Hospital at Puttur, P. Ravi Raju, has come out with a humane gesture — to adopt the colony, in a wider sense.

The ST Colony has a population of about 200 members with 50 families. For generations, the families are dependent on the forest wealth in the nearby hillocks. None of them has a piece of land to cultivate, while several of them have no houses. The sarpanch of Nesanur panchayat, Jyothamma (68), who hails from the colony, has been trying for a house for herself and her son for five years, but in vain. Even now, every day she goes to the forest to gather firewood, their only source of livelihood.

The children of the colony have to reach Venugopala Puram, which is 3 km away, for high school. Only one girl is pursuing a degree course from the colony while two are in Intermediate and the rest all are school dropouts. A dozen kids attend the Anganwadi centre at Gattu village. Three to four families are forced to live in a single house and this has prompted many families to migrate to nearby Puttur and Nagari.

According to Dr. Ravi Raju, on the Maha Sivaratri day this year, he was passing through Nesanur panchayat to reach the Shiva temple at Moolakona when he came across some patients, who were regular visitors to the government hospital. On their request, he visited the ST Colony nearby, where many families poured out their woes before him.The tales of abject poverty, ill-health, roofless and landless lives, surviving only by cutting of firewood, made a deep impression on him, says the doctor, speaking to The Hindu. After giving a serious thought to the plight of the colony residents, Dr. Ravi Raju consulted his family members, friends and well-wishers and decided to chalk out an action plan for their well-being.Last month, some of the residents came all the way to Puttur, 6 km away, to greet the medical officer on his birthday, and he accompanied them to their colony the same day and celebrated his birthday in their midst. A week later, he took a decision to adopt the colony.

By adoption, he means something truly progressive and he has chalked out an integrated action plan for them, he says.“In coordination with my colleagues in government and private sector, screening tests will be done for all the residents, as their health needs to be given top priority. Then, follow-up action will be taken up on need basis. Dropouts will be brought back to school. In order to improve their living standards, they will be educated on the welfare schemes they can make use of, particularly women empowerment, and their cases will be pursued with government functionaries. The issue of housing and land for cultivation will be taken up with the officials,” the medical officer explains his action plan.

At the same time, the younger generation will be made to realise the importance of education. To start with, the Anganwadi centre will be strengthened with all facilities. Not a single child will be left out, he adds.“No politician has visited our colony since the last elections. Now, hope has returned that our colony residents will see good days ahead,” says Jyothamma, expressing her happiness at the gesture of Dr. Ravi Raju.