Hunger, cholera hit a dwindling tribe

• Now, 23 Pahari Korba villages are in the grip of cholera. At least 19 tribals have died, most of them due to lack of medical care.

A dwindling tribe in Chhattisgarh which has been exempted from family planning programmes is fighting a battle against cholera — and for survival.

The administrative machinery woke up late and saw the disease spread to several tribal areas. Admits Jaspur’s Chief Medical officer Dr R.N. Verma: ‘‘This is the first time such a large number of Pahari Korbas have died.’’ He says there were lapses on the part of field officials in reporting the matter and its seriousness.

BJP MLA Ganesh Ram Bhagat, who has found an issue in the run-up to the Assembly polls, accuses Chief Minister Ajit Jogi of being insensitive to the cause of tribals. He puts the actual figure at 35 and claims to have compiled a list of the dead.

A local doctor claims the figure could even be higher.

State Health Secretary Alok Shukla rushed to the area and organised medical camps in the worst-affected Sanna area of Bagicha. Shukla, now back in Raipur, admits that the epidemic has already been reported as cholera and delayed reporting aggravated the conditions. Over 1,000 persons have already been treated at different hospitals and medical camps in the past 20 days. Over two dozen new patients arrive for treatment every day. Three patients who were sent home cured last week again landed up at the Bagicha hospital on Saturday in a serious condition.

Tucked away in the interiors of Chattisgarh, the Pahari Korba tribals have refused to change their lifestyle. They eat half-cooked food and drink contaminated water. A dozen handpumps installed after the outbreak of the epidemic are hardly used. ‘‘And the rice we distributed among them was bartered for liquor,’’ says B.S. Anant, district collector.

In this district, which counts for one-third of the total Pahari Korba population, their population has remained static for five years. The state government, under a centrally funded project, has reportedly spent Rs 7.31 crore since 1998 — but nothing much has changed.