A video of the journey, recorded by a local woman, surfaced on Friday and sparked outrage
AGRA: A 25-year-old pregnant woman in labour was carried across the swollen Utangan river on a cot tied to an inflatable tube after an ambulance failed to reach Sukhlaalpur, a forested village of about 1,000 residents in Agra’s Pinahat that lacks a bridge and proper road connectivity. Because there is not enough funding available”, he said, it is a major project and cannot be taken up at the local level. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Agra | Silver Rate in Agra | Bank Holidays in Agra | Public Holidays in Agra | Agra AQI | Weather in Agra | Petrol Price in Agra | Diesel Price in Agra | CNG Price in Agra | LPG Price in Agra Stay updated with the latest Agra news.
Villagers said they are forced to use inflatable tubes to cross the river during the monsoon when water levels rise and that several accidents have occurred during such crossings in the past. They said authorities offered assurances at the time, but no construction work has started so far. Speaking to TOI, SDM of Agra’s Bah sub-division Vinod Kumar said crossing the river is the only direct route to the village.
About three months ago, residents held a protest along the riverbank to demand a bridge, a railway underpass and a paved road. An alternative six-km route through the Chambal ravines becomes unusable during heavy rain. “Recently, villagers submitted a memorandum seeking construction of a small bridge over the river. I forwarded it to the govt as required. Kumar added that the region’s uneven terrain and scattered settlements have left several nearby villages without proper road connections. Download the TOI App.
Keshwati Kumari’s family used the makeshift raft to cross the river around 2am on Wednesday and take her to Fatehabad hospital, where she gave birth to a boy. The mother and her newborn then had to make the same dangerous river crossing to return home on Thursday. A video of the journey, recorded by a local woman, surfaced on Friday and sparked outrage.