Jumbo promises, but nothing comes by

Victims of elephant attack left crippled, with no government help forthcoming

One of the victims, 57-year-old Violet, a ‘D’ group employee at Mission Hospital, is bedridden. Future holds no hopes for her, as she is unable to move or walk because of acute back pain and swollen legs.

The rogue elephant had mauled her badly while she was on her way to hospital on June 8 morning.

Though she was admitted to Mission Hospital, she was discharged after sometime because her medical charges had already crossed Rs 15,000 and she had no money to pay.

Future seems bleak

When this reporter visited her, Violet lay in bed in her small rented house at Tilaknagar, worried about her and her daughter Rosaline’s future.

“There has not been any help so far from the government. No minister or officer visited my mother in hospital. The medical bill ran up to Rs 15,180 and my mother continues to suffer from pain. She is unable to walk or even sit for a while,” says Rosaline.

“After several appeals, a forest officer visited our house on Wednesday. So far, we have spent Rs 6,000 on medicine and scanning. My mother is yet to come out of shock. She does not sleep properly. She was not a diabetic, but now she has developed high blood sugar level due to hypertension,” Rosaline adds. The condition of other injured is no different. Siddamma (80) and Balakrishna (48) continue to be inpatients at K R Hospital.

No compensation yet

Shantha, the elder daughter of Siddamma, says: “My mother’s wound in the rib region is refusing to heal. It has formed pus. The hospital has not charged us anything so far towards treatment. But medicines bought outside have cost us more than Rs 3,000. We haven’t received any compensation from the government except Rs 5,000 given by the Forest Minister.”

Siddamma sold flowers at Devaraja Market and the elephant attack has completely crippled her, she adds.

Crippled for life

For Balakrishna, a daily wage worker at a power loom at Nayandahalli near Bangalore, the future is bleak. The jumbo attack has left him almost crippled with the injuries on his right leg affecting blood circulation.

“Doctors advised me to visit Jain Institute of Vascular Sciences in Bangalore. The cost of treatment is holding us back. My wife is a daily wage  worker too. Though there are no hospital charges, medicines from outside and our daily food expenses are burning a hole in our pockets,” he says.

His wife adds that the family borrowed money on interest to meet the medical expenses.

Ordeal continues

Pavan, an auto driver who supported his aged father and the family, is out of work for the past 10 days. Though he has been discharged from hospital, the young man continues to suffer from pain.

During midweek, he was back in K R Hospital to seek medical help for recurring fever and illness.

“My son earned about Rs 500 daily driving his auto and supported the family with Rs 300 everyday. He kept Rs 100 for himself and paid Rs 100 to the autorickshaw owner,” said his mother.