Land tiller turns man-killer
In a bizarre incident, a farmer was killed after he accidentally slipped and came under the tiller machine while tilling the field, at Kottarikudru in Harekala Gram Panchayat limits on Friday. The deceased has been identified as John Paul D’Souza (47).
D’Souza was tilling his field using his newly purchased tiller on Friday when the wheel of the tiller got struck in the field. As he tried to lift the machine, he lost control and fell on the field when he came under the wheels of the machine and the sharp blades pierced him. Though his wife tried to pull him out, she could not succeed. Hearing the commotion and screams, the people living on other side of the river rushed to the spot and pulled him out of the tiller machine and rushed him to the hospital. However, he breathed his last.
Devoid of facilities
The Kottari Kudru in Harekala is devoid of basic facilities. There are four families residing in the kudru. However, one need to use a boat to reach the Kudru. When John was struggling for life for nearly three hours, there was none to come and rescue him. If there was any connectivity, he could have been rushed to the hospital, said locals. Despite lack of facilities,
the four families were earning their livelihood through agriculture.
John and his children were dependent on agriculture. “I had asked him not to purchase tiller. However, he purchased tiller after borrowing loan. He was confident of repaying the loan by selling the vegetables. However, the tiller has taken away his life and we do not have any one to depend on,” said D’Souza’s wife Sunitha.
