By OUR STAFF REPORTER
RUDRAPRAYAG, 7 Oct: Two little children are surviving by cleaning homes and shops because their father has psychological problems and their mother abandoned them some time ago. Their old grandmother is incapable of doing anything for them. As a result, they are forced to fend for themselves. The little ones, Deepak and Devika, live in Village Jawadi Bhardar near the district headquarters, here. They live in their dilapidated home with their grandmother. Every morning, they go to the Village Primary School and on returning go to homes and shops to earn some money. Deepak is ten years old, while Devika is eight. Deepak studies in class five, while Devika is in class two. They are completely neglected by the agencies of government at any level. Their father, Surendra Lal, became mentally unstable some years ago. He could not be treated due to shortage of funds. He spends his time walking around the village. He got married twice and had no issue from his first wife. His second wife had four children. She went away with two of them and left the other two with the grandmother, Ganga Devi, who stays at home. The children still wait for their mother to return. Their house is in such bad condition that it could collapse at any time. They can only study because they attend a government school. They are forced to wear torn clothes and do not have shoes to wear. When approached on the subject, District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal promised all possible help for the children.
