Families battle post tragedy trauma

PARADIP:  Senior leader Bijay Mohapatra and former Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda-on Saturday visited Hasina village to express grief over the Hukitola boat tragedy.While Panda met the bereaved family members and assured financial assistance, Mohapatra attended a condolence meeting organised by the youths of the village where he gave a compensation of `5,000 each to the seven families who lost their loved ones in the mishap. 

Mohapatra said he will urge the State Government to send a medical team to provide counselling and health care facilities to the victims’ families and withdraw criminal cases against the two boatmen.
Meanwhile, the families of the 10 victims are yet to come to terms with the tragedy. Four of them have been hospitalised. 

Sources said the district administration has not yet sent a medical team or experts to provide counselling to the victims’ family.Namita Sahoo, who lost her son Dhun and daughter Rosi in the boat tragedy, had not eaten for the last three days and was admitted to a hospital in Kujang on Saturday.

Similarly, Nirvaya Swain, whose daughter was killed in the tragedy, also is in severe trauma and was admitted to the hospital. Tuni Tarai and Kabita Tarai, who lost their children in the tragedy, too were hospitalised.

Sarpanch of Mangrajpur panchayat Purnima Tripathy said the affected families have slipped into depression. “I have sought the intervention of local Tehsildar for sending counsellors to aid the victims’ family members. However, the district administration has sent ASHA workers for the purpose,” she said.