Gunanand Jakhmola, Sr. Journalist, Dehradun
Come let us cry loudly over the helplessness of the mountain
- Ganesh Martolia’s sister and grandmother’s death exposed the system
- Who are these bull demons of the time, who have a stone heart for the mountain
Vibrant villages are being established. The drum of AIIMS air ambulance is being played across the country.
Health services are improving. A huge provision of Rs 4763 crore has been made in this budget. 7 percent more than last year. With the help of Ayushman, bills and claims worth more than Rs 1300 crore are being paid.
It is a total mystery that the government is claiming that health services are improving. But the reality is that cabinet minister Subodh Uniyal has to go to Delhi even for a minor operation like hernia.
This is the bare truth of the government that health facilities are improving in the mountains. If this had happened, Ganesh Martolia’s grandmother and sister would not have died like this. That is why I am saying that come, let us all beat our chests and cry loudly over the helplessness of the mountains.
The situation is terrible. Ganesh Martolia, the singer of the hit song ‘Panchachuli Desh’, is facing a lot of sorrows because of the rotten system. The system took the life of Ganesh’s sister Diya and grandmother Kunti Devi. There is no FIR and no hearing. All the blame is on fate. What kind of helplessness is this of the mountains.
Ganesh’s maternal grandparents live in Dhapa village in Munsiyari area. His maternal grandmother Kunti Devi (70) and younger sister Diya (28) had gone to spend their summer vacation. On Saturday night, both of them ate wild mushrooms; they turned out to be poisonous and both of them fell ill.
They were admitted to the government hospital in Munsiyari. Ganesh alleges that there was neither a doctor nor a nurse in that hospital. When their condition did not improve in the morning, both of them were referred to Pithoragarh hospital.
Then from there to Haldwani. By then the condition of both of them deteriorated.
According to the information, Ganesh tried his best to arrange for an air ambulance from Haldwani but due to bad weather this arrangement could not be made.
Sister was being brought to Dehradun in an ambulance, grandmother in a taxi. Sister breathed her last between Sitarganj and Haldwani. Preparations were going on for Diya’s wedding and she breathed her last in the ambulance. The next day, grandmother also passed away in the morning.
Ganesh has written in his profile that there is still much left, sadness and dreams, on this barren land we will still grow a grassy field.
But tell me, how will grass grow and mountains be settled in such a rotten system? Come, let us cry a lot on the mountains and the helplessness of the people living there.
I am deeply hurt by this incident and I am with Ganesh Martolia in this hour of grief.
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