Orissa government fudges deaths figures

Merinews, 31st March, 2008

manoj kumar das, 31 March 2008, Monday

THIRTEEN-YEAR-old Laxman Jani died of diarrhoea last month in Kandabeda Padar village, of tribal-dominated Koraput district.
But his name does not figure in an official list. While residents claim the waterborne disease has killed as many as eight people in their village over the past one month, the government records show that only two people succumbed to the illness.
Similarly, 18-year-old Minju Disari, a resident of Katra Amba village, died of diarrhoea Aug 16, but his father Nila Dishari claims that government records show he died of malaria. People allege that the state government is deliberately keeping the cholera and diarrhoea death toll low in order to minimise the amount of compensation. There is a list of hundreds of people, who died of diarrhoea over the past one month in villages under Dasmantpur block. Many of them do not figure in the government list.
These areas witness the outbreak of waterborne diseases almost every monsoon. The cause has been the same over the years - rainwater slush from hilltops contaminating water sources.
Near about 43 numbers of deaths, due to the diseases in Koraput and 27 in Kalahandi by officially of the state health control room. No deaths have been reported from these regions for the past one-week although there are a few cases of attacks. Hospitals have only received sporadic diarrhoea cases.
However, locals claim that deaths caused by diarrhoea and cholera continue unabated. "The government figures are totally false. In Koraput alone, more than 250 people have already died," Bahinipati, the local MLA, said.
The administration is deliberately showing the fresh deaths as deaths due to other diseases. The old men have been shown to die from old age-related complications; others have been shown as having died of fever or other diseases. The government is not disclosing the real deaths because it does not want to take the blame. Besides, it also does not want to pay any compensation. However, government officials deny the allegations.
Cholera and diarrhoea outbreaks have been wreaking havoc for one and a half months in the districts, known as the most underdeveloped parts of the country and often in the news for starvation deaths and child trafficking.