The village with a population of 1,500 was completely cut off dur to flood waters. (Representational)
A 17-year-old boy, who was critically ill and in urgent need of medical treatment, was rescued from a remote village cut off by flood waters in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district in a joint effort by the locals and authorities.
Sahil Waghade, a resident of Tohogaon village, was rescued on Saturday in a joint effort by the local gram panchayat, the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), the police and district administration. Sahil was suffering from fever and was undergoing treatment at a local primary health centre, but his condition deteriorated over the last few days, said Firoz Pathan, the former deputy sarpanch of Tohogaon village.
The village in Gondpipri taluka, which has a population of 1,500, was completely cut off from surrounding villages due to flood waters following incessant rains in the district since earlier this week.
The backwaters of Wardha river blocked Tohogaon village, which was surrounded by flood water, with the access road being a forest patch.
"The doctor treating Sahil at the primary health centre advised that he be shifted to a hospital in Chandrapur. I contacted the tehsildar of Gondpipri K D Meshram intimating him about the emergency. As the roads are blocked because of flood waters, the tehsildar decided to reach the village through a forest patch via Jharan Kanargaon camp no 4," Mr Pathan said.
Though the tehsildar travelled 25 km on a forest road with an ambulance on Friday, he could not reach the village as a tree had fallen on the road, blocking it. There was no manpower to clear the path and he was forced to turn back, he said.
"Subsequently, we contacted the forest department to clear the road. The department also alerted the Kothari police station in-charge and FDCM, who removed the fallen tree late in the night," Pathan said.
On Saturday, Sahil and his father were brought to the forest patch in a small boat, from where the police and the tehsildar shifted the boy to the Chandrapur Medical College and Hospital in an ambulance, he said.
Talking to Press Trust of India, tehsildar Meshram said, "I phoned the doctor in-charge of Tohogaon primary health centre where Sahil was admitted and he told me that the boy's condition was turning critical and he showed symptoms of malaria and dengue." Tohogaon and a few more villages were still cut off due to flood waters. The boy had to be rescued through a forest road, which he could reach by a boat, the official said.
Pathan, villagers from Tohogaon, FDCM officials and police inspector Tushar Chavhan worked day and night to clear the path and ensure that Sahil was brought out safely, Meshram said, adding that the boy's condition was stable.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)