Raigad: In a stark reminder of the infrastructure gaps that continue to exist just outside Mumbai, a pregnant woman was carried to a hospital in a makeshift cloth sling after the absence of a motorable road made ambulance access impossible. The incident took place in Umbarane Wadi in Khalapur taluka of Raigad district, barely 80 kilometres from Mumbai and just a few kilometres from the Khalapur Toll Plaza on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
Villagers Carry Woman To Hospital
Visuals from the area show villagers struggling to navigate slippery rocks, uneven terrain and overflowing streams while carrying the pregnant woman to safety. She was later admitted to Chouk Hospital for delivery.
The woman, identified as the wife of Ananta Pardhi, had to be carried by villagers through a rugged forest path to Chouk Hospital after she went into labour. With no proper road leading to the tribal hamlet, residents fashioned a sling using a bedsheet and walked several kilometres across rocky terrain and streams to reach medical help.
Umbarane Wadi is among four tribal settlements, including Pirkadwadi and Arkaswadi, that continue to lack basic infrastructure such as all-weather roads and electricity despite decades after Independence. According to a News18 Marathi report, residents say the narrow footpath connecting the village to Chouk has been washed away by the recent heavy monsoon rains, making access even more difficult.
Development Claims Questioned
Ironically, the remote hamlets are located close to the Morbe Dam, which supplies drinking water to Navi Mumbai, and are situated near the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, one of India's busiest highways.
The incident has triggered criticism from local residents, who questioned the government's claims of development while basic connectivity remains unavailable in villages located only a short distance from one of the country's most modern expressways.
The contrast has drawn sharp attention as motorists continue to pay tolls at the Khalapur Toll Plaza for travelling on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, while residents living just a few kilometres away are still forced to carry patients on foot due to the absence of a proper road.
Locals have renewed their demand for an all-weather road, electricity and other basic civic amenities, arguing that access to healthcare should not depend on villagers carrying patients through forests and streams during the monsoon.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
