Take a kidney, provide a house; poor man urges govt in Odisha’s Angul, watch

Angul: Take a kidney, provide a house. This was the prayer of a poor man who reportedly has been moving post to pillar to get a house from the Government but in vain. After continuing his struggle for years to get a house under the government’s free housing scheme, finally he said that if the government does not have money for a house, then he is ready to donate a kidney, so that the government would provide him a house.

Archana Sahu lives in the Champatimunda village under Angul block in Angul district of Odisha. His family consists of wife Subhagini Sahu and ten year old son. He moves from village to village to sell bangles to financially support his family.

With great difficulty, Sahu managed to make an asbestos house. However, in 2019, the wall of this house collapsed in the rain. The local tehsildar came and did his duty only by handing out a polythene sheet. Archana lived in the broken house along with the family in an unsafe condition for a short period. However, in the 2023 cyclone, the house was completely destroyed.

The family narrowly escaped as they rushed out of the house saving their lives as it collapsed while they were sleeping at night. Accordingly, the family became almost landless and they moved from here to there.

After living like this for a few days, the villagers provided them shelter in the club house. They have been living in the club house in an unsafe condition for the last two months. They are living in the club house in fear of elephants, snakes and reptiles.

Sahu reportedly has been applying for a house since 2019. He has met the local Sarpanch, BDO and Angul Collector to urge for a house. Yet, he is yet to get a house. Hence, he get disappointed and finally said that he is ready to donate a kidney if the government does not have money for a deserving beneficiary like him to get a house to keep his family safe.

He does not have enough money to repair the house after it was completely destroyed. The local tehsildar has provided only a piece of polythene sheet.

Also, he is not in a position to go to business after leaving the family alone in the club house.

On the other hand, Arabinda Behera, BDO, Angul said that he could not get a house because his name was not in the beneficiaries’ list this year. In the next phase, we will see that he can get a house under the govt scheme, he said.

The government is launching many schemes for the benefit of the poor people. However, it is a pity that ineligible beneficiaries are getting houses but eligible beneficiaries like Archana Sahu are not getting a house, alleged the villagers.

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