An unfortunate incident took place on Wednesday in Vizianagaram district’s Gunkalam Village during a public meeting attended by CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy. An elderly man Mantena Sattibabu accompanied by his spouse Kalavathi had attended the meeting to collect house site pattas which are being distributed by the CM under ‘Navaratnalu-Pedalandariki Illu’ scheme. The 70-yr old passed away due to the searing heat as tents were not put up not proper arrangements were made at the venue for the public.
No tents or tarpaulins put up
Many beneficiaries who had attended the event faced troubles to even sit at the venue due to the scorching heat. With the programme arranged mid-noon and the CM having arrived after an hour’s delay led to the public-facing severe inconvenience. This led to Sattibabu suffer sunstroke and collapse at the site. Though the man was rushed by a volunteer to the nearest hospital in an ambulance, he was declared dead. Later, his body was shifted to the district hospital.
Volunteer’s insistence
Following the incident, the deceased man’s wife Kalavathi stated that both of them had been living without a house for years. It was a volunteer from the village secretariat who informed them that they have been granted a house site by the government and that they need to collect the house site pattas at CM’s meeting in Gunkalam. The volunteer had insisted that the couple attend the event despite the woman saying that her husband was unwell.
Also, the elderly couple had to run around for more than half an hour searching for their house site at the event amidst the crowd which led to her husband’s exhaustion and collapse. The lady lamented adding that efforts to resuscitate him failed.
