An elderly woman from Bhadrak district walked with the support of a plastic chair to seek financial assistance after her house was damaged in a flood. However, she reached the venue after the district collector’s public grievance hearing had concluded.

Bhadrak, Oct 13 (UDN): In a poignant account of an elderly woman’s struggle to secure government assistance, 75-year-old Tulasi Singh from Odisha’s Bhadrak district set out to meet senior officials to seek financial relief for her flood-damaged house. However, her efforts were unsuccessful as she arrived at the venue after the district collector’s public grievance hearing had ended.

Tulasi belongs to Bishnubindha village under Barandua panchayat in Basudevpur block. According to her, her house was damaged during the recent flood, but she has yet to receive financial assistance to help her recover from the damage.

Hoping to draw the administration’s attention to her plight, she learned that the district collector and other senior officials would be visiting Barandua panchayat. She decided to make the journey to meet them personally and explain her situation.

Elderly Woman Relies on Plastic Chair to Walk

Tulasi’s determination to seek assistance was evident in the way she made her journey. Due to her advanced age and difficulty walking, she used a plastic chair as a makeshift support.

She would place the chair ahead of her, hold on to it and slowly move forward before repeating the process. The unusual sight caught the attention of a news team returning along the same route.

Despite her efforts, Tulasi could not meet the officials. By the time she reached the venue, the district collector’s joint public grievance hearing had already concluded, leaving her unable to submit her complaint in person.

Woman Hopes to Secure Assistance from Officials

Speaking about her situation, Tulasi said she had not received financial aid despite the damage to her house during the flood. With the hope of obtaining relief, she said she would try to approach the officials at their residences.

Her case has drawn attention to the difficulties that elderly residents may face while trying to access government assistance, particularly when mobility challenges make it difficult to attend official grievance hearings.

As of the time of reporting, the district administration had not issued a response regarding Tulasi’s complaint or the status of her request for flood relief.

Whether she will receive assistance for repairing her damaged house remains unclear.