Sports
Mamata government wakes up to ailing gymnast's plight
Kolkata, Jan 26
Days after the family of
ailing gymnast Soumita Dey lamented the lack of assistance from the West
Bengal government, state Youth Affairs Minister Arup Biswas Monday
assured he would look into the matter.
Suffering from
Neurosarcoidosis since 2012 and with the lower half of her body
paralysed, the former gymnast and judge in the 2010 Commonwealth Games,
is undergoing treatment at a city nursing home.
"I am going to meet her today (Monday) and will surely look into what we can do for her," Biswas told IANS.
Unable
to bear the medical expenses, the family of the critically ill gymnast
has been moving from pillar-to-post seeking assistance.
With
Tamil Nadu's ruling party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(AIADMK) general secretary J. Jayalalithaa Saturday announcing Rs.5 lakh
as aid, the gymnast's father Simanta Dey had rued not getting any help
from the Mamata Banerjee government in the state.
"We belong to a
middle-class family and her treatment expenses are huge. We tried
garnering help from the state government, but nothing came our way. We
got in touch with the local leaders from the ruling party who promised
financial help too, but it has still not arrived," Dey had told IANS.
West
Bengal Olympic Association president Ajit Banerjee who met Dey at the
nursing home too has called for helping out the gymnast.
"We are
doing our bit but others too need to come forward. She represented
Bengal at the national level for nearly a decade so its our duty to
ensure her wellbeing," said Banerjee.