Pregnant Woman Carried on Cot for 4 km Due to Lack of Road

 

Deepak Mishra, Jharkhand Spirit : More than 75 years after India’s independence, several villages in the Pirtand block of Giridih district are still deprived of basic road connectivity. As a result, villagers continue to risk their lives during medical emergencies. In a shocking incident from Daluwadih village, a pregnant woman suffering from labor pain had to be carried on a cot for nearly four kilometers before she could finally reach a vehicle and be taken to a hospital.

According to local residents, Sunita Soren, a pregnant woman from Daluwadih village, suddenly went into labor. Her family contacted the health department seeking ambulance services, but the ambulance reportedly refused to enter the village due to the absence of a motorable road.

With no other option available, family members and villagers placed the woman on a traditional cot and carried her through difficult terrain to the Pipradih main road, nearly four kilometers away. From there, a vehicle was arranged to take her to the hospital.

Family members stated that the delay caused by the lack of road connectivity worsened her condition. They said that if a proper road existed, the ambulance could have reached the village directly and timely medical assistance would have been possible.

Villagers alleged that while a road has been constructed up to Pipradih, work beyond that point has remained neglected for years, forcing people from dozens of villages to suffer daily hardships. Several villages including Kuruwarand, Daluwadih, Dahiya, Itabeda, Gadaparom, Saherbeda, Jirbeda, Satkatiya, and Borwabeda are reportedly affected by the lack of road infrastructure.

Residents said the situation becomes even more dangerous during the rainy season, when transporting sick persons, pregnant women, and elderly villagers to hospitals becomes a major challenge.

The incident has triggered widespread anger among local villagers. Residents including Budhan Soren, Sushil Murmu, Sano Marandi, Gopal Murmu, Somra Murmu, Patiram Marandi, and Babulal Hansda accused public representatives and the administration of neglecting the region for years.

Villagers claimed that political leaders make big promises during elections but fail to return to the villages after winning. Warning of a possible election boycott if road construction is not carried out soon, villagers collectively raised the slogan: “No Road, No Vote.”

Locals further said that this is not the first such incident. On several previous occasions, patients have been carried on cots due to the absence of roads, but despite repeated hardships, authorities and elected representatives have allegedly failed to address the issue.

The incident has once again exposed the poor road infrastructure and inadequate healthcare accessibility in remote areas of the region.