Minor siblings stranded on the road to future as their single mom dies

CHENNAI: In a sad turn of events, two girls in Tiruttani are facing a bleak future as their single mother passed away on Sunday due to ill health. Their father had abandoned them when they were young and the relatives followed suit.

Jayanthi, 55 was living on Suburayamesthri Street in Tiruttani for the past 15 years with her daughters Vanitha, 15 and Girija, 12. Vanitha will be facing her 10th board exams very soon and Girija is in Class 7. Both were studying in a government school nearby.

“The trio was living in a single-room house and Jayanthi was working in a hotel on Tiruttani-Arakkonam road,” said a police officer.Police said that Jayanthi was paying Rs 500 as rent for the house as the house owner understood their situation.

“Soon after their marriage, Jayanthi’s husband abandoned them. Since then she was doing odd jobs and recently started working in a hotel as a waitress,” said one of the neighbour, who has been feeding the girls since then.

The lockdown cost Jayanthi her job. Without any income, they were managing with the little money that was borrowed from neighbours. “Since the Vanitha was preparing for the board exam it was difficult for her to concentrate. On Sunday Jayanthi suffered suffocation and Vanitha called the 108 ambulance and took her mother to the Government Tiruttani Hospital,” said the police officer.

The doctors who checked Jayanthi transferred her to the Government Tiruvallur Hospital. On the way, Jayanthi died in the ambulance. Some neighbours pitched in money for the funeral. The girls are now staying in the same house and the information has been passed onto the government officials.

A police officer said the neighbours tried contacting some relatives of the girls from an old phone book but no one came forward to help. With no guardian by their side, the girls are now stranded. After some local officials passed on the information to the collector, he has reportedly assured to look into the matter.