Koraput Girl Carried 4 Km on Makeshift Stretcher

Koraput | Dec 03,2025 - In a distressing incident that highlights the continuing challenges of rural connectivity, villagers in Dainichua under Majhiguda panchayat of Baipariguda block were forced to carry a critically ill girl for four kilometres on a makeshift stretcher due to the absence of a motorable road.

The patient, identified as 14-year-old Ratna Hantal, a Class IX student of Gumma SSD Girls’ High School, had returned home after falling ill at her hostel. She had earlier been treated at Baipariguda Medical, where doctors advised her to rest at home for a few days.

However, Ratna’s condition suddenly deteriorated on Tuesday morning. Her hands and legs reportedly swelled, and she collapsed at home. With no road access and no possibility for a vehicle to reach the remote village, her family and neighbours resorted to tying a plastic chair to bamboo poles to create a makeshift stretcher. They then carried her across steep, rocky and forested terrain for nearly four kilometres to reach Bausaguda, the nearest point accessible by vehicles.

Even after reaching Bausaguda, the family struggled to get an ambulance due to extremely poor mobile network connectivity. After several failed attempts, they finally managed to arrange another vehicle to take Ratna to Baipariguda hospital, where doctors are currently providing treatment.

Villagers expressed deep frustration over the lack of basic infrastructure in the area. “For years we have been requesting a road, but nothing has changed. We suffer the most during medical emergencies,” said a local resident who assisted in carrying the girl.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the urgent need for all-weather roads in remote pockets of Koraput district, where residents continue to risk lives due to administrative neglect. Authorities are yet to comment on the situation.