Odisha man walks 10 km carrying wife's body

BHUBANESWAR: A tribal man, along with his 12-year-old daughter, walked around 10km carrying his wife's body on his shoulder on Wednesday as he failed to get a vehicle to transport it from a government hospital in Odisha's Kalahandi district where she died.Dana Majhi's 42-year-old wife Amang Dei died of tuberculosis on Tuesday night at the district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna.For those in such a situation, the Naveen Patnaik government had launched the `Mahaparayana' scheme in February , offering free transportation of bodies from government hospitals to the residences of the deceased.Majhi, however, said despite his allout efforts, he could not get any help from the hospital authorities. Thus, he wrapped his wife's body in a cloth and started walking to his village Melghara which is about 60 km from Bhawanipatna.Majhi's daughter accompanied him till some local reporters spotted the duo. They called up the district collector and arranged for an ambulance for the remaining 50 km of the journey .“I told the hospital authorities that I am a poor man and cannot afford a vehicle. Despite repeated requests, they said they cannot offer any help,“ Majhi told a local television channel.Kalahandi district collector Brunda D said, “As we got to know of the incident, we spoke to the CDMO and arranged for an ambulance“ he said. Under `Mahaparayana' scheme, dead body carriers are supposed to be deployed at 37 government hospitals.