Chikkaballapura, May 7: Even as millions of people waste food every day in Karnataka, two young siblings from Gudibande in Chikkaballapura district lost their after they ate mud unable to tolerate hunger.
Vennela, a seven-year-old girl, succumbed after allegedly eating mud to beat hunger last week. Around six months ago her three-year-old brother Santosh Babu had died due to the same reason.
It all began with Mahesh and his wife Nagamani of Gudibande moving to Kadari, Andhra Pradesh, in search of jobs a few years ago. They were living in Hamali Colony, Kummaravandelapalli, along with scores of other quarry workers.
The couple used to leave the house early morning to work in quarries, while Nagamani’s mother would be at home along with the couple’s five children and Nagamani’s sister Lakshmi’s child. All three adults in the family, including Mahesh, Nagamani and her mother, were habitual drinkers and the children were deprived of parental love. They weren’t even given sufficient food.
AG Sudhakar, president of Child Welfare Committee, Chikkaballapura, said he brought the incident to the notice of the deputy commissioner, who took up it up with his Anantapur counterpart.
Kadari sub -nspector Venkataswamy said Vennala’s death had come to the notice of the administration, and neighbours maintain she died after consuming mud. The other children — Anjali, 7; Srinivasalu, 8; and Chandra Vanitha, 6 — have been provided shelter at Balasadana in Anantapur. One-year-old Lavanya is with her parents Mahesh and Nagamani, who have been admitted to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre at Anantapur.
She said though all the children were registered under the integrated child development scheme, they had not been attending the anganwadis owing to their parents’ negligence.
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