Phone call cripples hope of an ANM job assured by KTR

HYDERABAD: Lakshmaiah's eyes welled up with a sense of diffidence. His small dwelling in the capillary street of Gattuppal in Munugode Assembly Constituency wore a gloomy look.

His daughter Yashoda, a trained Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM), was terribly afflicted at birth due to contamination of water by fluoride. She has skewed legs deformed due to the fluoride in water. Yashoda is working as a nurse in Hyderabad in a hospital.

Lakshmaiah has a reason to breakdown. Fighting his tears, he narrated to NewsTAP a heart-wrenching story of how his daughter might lose the opportunity of securing a government job at his native place.

When Lakshmaiah and his daughter tried to represent the grievance of the impaired nurse to Working President of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Minister K T Rama Rao (KTR) at Padmashali Aatmeeya Sammelanam on October 21 at Manneguda, something pleasant befell them.

A visibly moved KTR immediately called up Health Minister T Harish Rao over his mobile and explained to him the need for providing employment to Yashoda in Shivannagudem where there was a clear vacancy of an ANM. Pat came a positive response from Harish Rao.

Video of KTR's conversation with Harish Rao was tweeted too.

However, the story took a different turn, according to Lakshmaiah. He had received a call from someone claiming to be the Joint Collector of Nalgonda district and talked in a harsh tone.

The caller questioned as to how did they get in touch with the ministers KTR and Harish Rao. Lakshmaiah, who ekes out a living by working as a hamali carrying heavy loads on his back, suspected that it was a call from someone belonging to the BJP or someone who was intentionally trying to queer the pitch and prevent his disabled daughter from getting employed.

"We felt very happy that our problems have come to an end and that my daughter will get a government job at Shivannagudem. However, this dreadful call shattered our hopes and dreams. We are, however, optimistic that the assurance once given will not be ignored by KTR. The caller tried to invoke the model code of conduct of elections. We can wait until the elections are over. We only hope she gets a job in Shivannagudem as ANM."

He goes on to say: "I am not disheartened or diffident. But I am hopeful that my daughter will not be meted out any injustice."