Bhubaneswar, 06/07/2025:Expressing deep concern over the tragic death of a young man named Shankar Maharana of Aitapur village under Khallikote block in Ganjam district due to the utter mismanagement of the 108 ambulance service, a delegation of the Biju Janata Dal met the bereaved family and assured them of support, while strongly condemning the gross criminal negligence by the government.

Notably, on Thursday, Shankar collapsed in pain after being struck on the chest by a ball while playing cricket. Although his family immediately called for an ambulance, the delay in its arrival forced them to transport him to Balugaon Medical by their own means. As his condition deteriorated, Balugaon Medical referred him to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur. However, the 108 ambulance broke down near Khallikoteen route to Berhampur, prompting the family to make repeated calls for assistance to other ambulances and the police — to no avail.

For over 3 hours, Shankar suffered in agony on the Khallikote National Highway waiting for help. Eventually, spotting another ambulance passing by, the family managed to take him to MKCG Medical, where the doctors declared him dead. Medical authorities stated that if the patient had reached the hospital on time, his life could have been saved.

Villagers and the family informed to the BJD delegation that due to the criminal negligence of the government, a precious life was lost. Under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik, 108 ambulances used to reach within 20 minutes of receiving a call. But under the current BJP government, even after 3 hours of repeated calls, no ambulance could reach the patient, resulting in the loss of a valuable life.

Even after requesting government support to bring back the deceased's body from MKCG to their village, the family received no help and had to spend ₹5,000 from their own pocket for transportation. Despite three days having passed since the incident, no government official had visited the family until yesterday. Only after news spread that the BJD delegation was visiting, the government hurriedly announced ₹4 lakh financial assistance late last night.

Considering the extreme poverty of Shankar Maharana’s family, the BJD delegation has demanded that the government immediately provide a government job to his brother. 

The BJD delegation led by former Union Minister Shri Chandra SekharSahu included former MLA Shri Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik, Shri Bikram Panda, Shri SubashBehera, Smt. Manjula Swain, Smt. SuryamaniBaidya, Smt. RanjitaSahu, Berhampur Mayor Smt. SanghamitraDalei, Shri SubashMaharana, Former ZillaParishad Chairperson Smt. SonamPalei, Former NAC Chairperson Shri Ram Mohan Panda, Shri BhabanikantaSahu, Shri PrafullaSahu, Shri RatnakarSahu, Shri DayanidhiSahu, and local Sarpanch Smt. Twinkle Tarai, among others.

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