A tribal migrant worker from Kalahandi’s remote Sungergad village died after drowning in a fish-farming pond in Andhra Pradesh, according to sources.
In a tragic turn, his body had to be carried for nearly 2 km on a cot after the ambulance transporting it got stranded due to a burst tyre on the difficult road leading to the village.
Balsingh Majhi, a resident of Sungergad village under Kerpai panchayat of Thuamul Rampur block, had travelled to Andhra Pradesh in search of work to support his family.
According to sources, Majhi was working at a farm in Andhra Pradesh. He had entered a fish-farming pond in a boat to feed the fish when the boat sank. While another worker in the boat managed to swim back to the shore, Majhi could not make it back and drowned.
News of his death cast a pall of gloom over his family and the entire village. His body was brought back from Andhra Pradesh to his native Sungergad village on Thursday.
However, the difficult journey did not end there. The ambulance carrying the body towards the village suffered a burst tyre on the remote road and was forced to stop around 2 km from the village. With no alternative arrangement available, villagers placed the body on a cot and carried it on their shoulders for nearly 2 km to reach the village.
The incident has once again highlighted the poor road and transportation facilities in the remote village.
While people from remote areas continue to migrate to other states in search of employment due to a lack of livelihood opportunities, the absence of motorable roads remains a major challenge for many villages in the region.
