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Injured in rhino attack, elderly couple facing tough times
An elderly couple, who sustained serious injuries in a rhino attack at Madi, has been languishing at Bharatpur Hospital for the past one week.Shiva Puri
An elderly couple, who sustained serious injuries in a rhino attack at Madi, has been languishing at Bharatpur Hospital for the past one week.
The victims’ relatives said they were facing a tough time arranging money for their treatment.
Randana Adhikari, 60, from Madi Municipality-12 is kept at the Intensive Care Unit while her 70-year-old husband Indra Bahadur is at the surgical ward.
Their treatment has been affected due to financial problems.
“We don’t have money for the treatment of our parents,” said Tikaram Adhikari, son of the victims. “We have already spent Rs 150,000.”
A rhino from the Chitwan National Park (CNP) had attacked the victims while they were working in a field on May 22.
Both of them were seriously injured with wounds on chest and hand.
“Neither the park authorities nor other organisations have come forward to support us,” said Tikaram.
Jitendra Bhandari, chairman of Madi-Bharatpur Samparka Manch, said the authorities concerned have failed to pay attention to the plight of the Adhikari couple. “Local administration should have helped them out,” said Bhandari.
Soon after the incident, the Ayodhyapuri Forest Consumers’ Committee had recommended that the CNP provide the injured with relief and treatment expenses. But the impoverished Adhikari family is yet to receive any kind of help.
As per the existing legal provision, the government provides Rs 500,000 to the family if an individual is killed in wildlife attack, while Rs 100,000 is provided to the family if anyone is injured in such attacks.
Narendra Aryal, assistant conservation officer at the CNP, said the park “immediately provides relief as per the recommendation of the local forest consumers’ committee”. “The consumers’ committee has not made any recommendation,” he claimed.
Locals of Madi area often bear the brunt of wild animal attacks.
Rhinos, elephants and tigers often enter human settlement and attack people and destroy crops. Three persons have died and two were injured in separate attacks of rhino in Chitwan in the past two weeks.