Para powerlifting champion V. Saravanan can be carried by his father or native residents for greater than 1.5 km to the closest highway when he wanted to go for coaching periods.
| Photo Credit: ROHAN PREMKUMAR
A national-level para powerlifting champion, whose exploits on the 2023 Khelo India Para Games bagged him a silver medal, hopes the curiosity generated by his performances may also help deliver highway entry to his village, the place round 30 households are residing for many years.
V. Saravanan, who bagged a silver medal within the Men’s 65-kg class within the para powerlifting occasion, is a resident of Gundada village in Jegathala panchayat. The village, positioned close to Coonoor, is house to largely every day wage labourers and plantation employees who’re attempting to get highway entry to their village for over three many years, they mentioned.
Mr. Saravanan mentioned he was coaching as a powerlifter for the final 5 years, and owed his success to the assistance and assist of his neighbours. “Even when I needed to go for training, they would carry me more than 1.5 km to the nearest road, so that I could go and train,” mentioned the 35-year-old Mr. Saravanan.
“The villagers of Gundada face many hardships. They have to travel a distance of three km to even get a pack of milk, walking through tea estates and forest areas to even access basic amenities,” he added.
Other villagers, resembling Vijayan, mentioned throughout medical emergencies individuals encounter issue in accessing healthcare as ambulances are unable to succeed in their village. “There have been instances when pregnant women who were being taken to hospital have suffered falls and had miscarriages and debilitating injuries,” he mentioned.
Mr. Saravanan and the native residents need the Nilgiris district administration to intervene and persuade native landholders at hand over a portion of their properties to the federal government so {that a} highway will be laid to the village. “Most of the landowners have agreed to allow us a right of passage so that a road can be laid, except a few who want exorbitant amounts of money in exchange for a bit of their land. If the government can convince these people to sell the land, then a road can be laid to the village,” he informed The Hindu.
While he’s employed as a warden in a authorities hostel for college students, Mr. Saravanan doesn’t need the youngsters from his village to endure the trials and tribulations he confronted whereas going to high school or whereas pursuing his desires of turning into a national-level athlete. “Whenever people approach me for interviews, I always tell them about the village where I reside and the need for road access in the hope that government officials will hear our pleas,” mentioned Mr. Saravanan.
Source: www.thehindu.com
