MANISH RAJ
Deoghar, April 17: Many people by now are familiar with the name Panna Lal Panjiyara, whose use of local ‘Jugad’ technology to get access to the hill saved several tourists on the horrible evening of April 10 when the ropeway on Deoghar’s Trikut mountain broke down.
But, unfortunately, the saviour himself has to deal with problems on a daily basis because Panna Lal’s house does not have a toilet. All members of the family, including women, must rush to the fields to answer nature’s call.
With the help of his colleagues, Panna had saved as many as 11 tourists stranded mid-air in the cabins on the first day of the Trikut tragedy. Not only the media but also the central and state governments recognised his participation in the rescue mission.
The state government even gave him a cash award after the rescue mission was over. Chief Minister Hemant Soren spoke with him via video conferencing and got his account of the accident and rescue.
Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Panna Lal while reviewing the entire operation, which was carried out jointly by the Air Force, the NDRF, the ITBP, and the local administration.
Meanwhile, the state government has directed the district administration to make Panna Lal and his family eligible for all government-run schemes. Panna Lal was visited by a representative of the agency in charge of getting the toilet installed in his residence, who informed him that the work would begin shortly.
However, amid all the appreciation, a bizarre opinion is floating among the locals that Panna Lal will not prefer to use the government-built toilet as now he has become a celebrity.
