Hyderabad, Apr 15 (IANS): Unable to pay hospital bill, a man committed suicide by hanging in a private hospital in Telangana's Jayashankar Bhupalapally district.
Marri Bapu, 46, was undergoing treatment after consuming pesticide following denial of job to his son as promised by the authorities while acquiring his land for Kakatiya Thermal Power Project (KTPP) in Mahabubpalli village of Bhupalapally mandal.
A depressed Bapu hanged self in hospital ward on Thursday as his family members who had gone to arrange the money had not returned even after three days.
As the hospital had told Bapu's family members that they will discharge him only after payment of Rs 60,000, they had gone to arrange the money. As they couldn't arrange the same, he ended his life.
Leaders of various political parties demanded action against the hospital for pressurising the family for bill payment. They also staged protest against KTPP, demanding Rs 25 lakh compensation for the family.
Bapu is survived by wife, a son and a daughter. His son said their two acre land was acquired for KTPP in 2006. The officials had promised that they will provide job to a member of his family.
Bapu, who was working as a labourer in another village in the district, has been running around offices to get a job for his son. As the promised job was not given, Bapu had become dejected.
He went to KTPP and stayed there on March 30 and 31, begging officials to give some job to his son. With no positive response coming from officials concerned, he consumed pesticide in front of the main gate of KTPP on April 1. Security guards posted there shifted him to a private hospital in Bhupalapally.
When he recovered, the hospital approached KTPP officials for bill payment. As there was no response from them, the hospital started pressurising Bapu's family to pay the bill.
Authorities of the undivided Andhra Pradesh had acquired 900 acres from 750 farmers in 2006. While paying compensation as per market price, the government had promised a job to one member of every affected family.
Locals say jobs were provided to 550 people. Children of remaining land evacuees were then either minor or were not eligible. Since then they had been running around the offices.