AGARTALA, August 24 (TIWN): Jhumiya families are living in acute insanitary conditions in most villagers of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), ADC chief executive member Ranjit Debbarma said. Addressing the monsoon session in response to a call-in-attention notice moved by member of district council Pratiram Tripura, the chief executive member said that many jhumiya families were found to be living in sub-human conditions with domestic animals in the same room.

Many of these families don’t follow standard hygienic and sanitary conditions and seek help from quack doctors and mystics in the case of diseases. “These people don’t want to come to public hospitals or healthcare centres”, Debbarma said adding that the state government and district council authorities were working to raise consciousness and awareness among the jhumiya indigenous populace.

He added that a total of 82 persons died from malaria, fever, diarrhea in the past few months. Over 71 thousand people were found to have been infected with malaria parasite across the state. The ADC chief said that the authorities tried to control the situation by starting massive awareness and sensitization drive in the hills but prejudices couldn’t be completely addressed among jhumiya families yet.

The state government earlier stated that MPWs, Anganwadi workers and ASHA volunteers didn’t coordinate with the higher ups of health and family welfare department during the initial days of the disease outbreak in May this year owing to which the government went late in addressing the healthcare disaster and 82 people died.

The opposition political parties, however, claimed that most deaths occurred due to lack of preparation in the Department for health and family welfare including stock of anti-malaria drugs.