Pathanamthitta: In a tragic incident, a lottery seller set himself ablaze after the construction of his house under the state government's Life Mission Scheme came to a halt. The deceased is identified as Omallur native Gopi. His body was found charred to death by the roadside near Omallur panchayath here on Saturday.
According to police, Gopi had doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire near his house under construction. Though the body was unidentified in the initial hours, by evening police confirmed that it belonged to Gopi. The police also recovered a suicide note written by the lottery seller.
In the note, Gopi expressed his disappointment over the non-completion of his house which was granted under the government's Life Mission Scheme. He complained that the construction of the house was interrupted as the panchayat authority stopped funding.
“ I'm ending my life after realising that those who fail don't deserve to live. House construction is not completed yet due to fund crunch. I purchased the raw materials for concrete work before Onam. But the next instalment for the work is not sanctioned so far. I apologise to all,” Gopi wrote.
His son told Manorama News that his father was very disappointed over the panchayat's delay in releasing the amount for the house construction.
“ My father wanted to complete the house construction before Onam and shift to the new house with mother as soon as possible. He was very depressed as the concrete work came to a halt,” he said.
Gopi who is a kidney patient was living in a makeshift shed close to his house under construction. He wanted to move to the new house with his bedridden wife. As his wife's leg got amputated, she has been living with their daughter.
Meanwhile, Omallur panchayat president Johnson Vilavinal claimed that the panchayat failed to disburse the fund due to financial crisis.
“ The house construction was started nearly a year ago. Panchayat has given Rs 2 lakh to him for the work. For concrete work, Rs 1 lakh should be disbursed. The fund from the government for the Life Scheme is being delayed. The government has asked us to take a loan from HUDCO for completing the projects. At present, no money is left in the panchayat's plan fund. So the fund approval for Life Mission was interrupted. Government funds for the scheme as well as the HUDCO fund also delayed. Gopi's suicide is really shocking. He never filed a complaint with the panchayat questioning the delay in fund approval. If he raised his concern, we would have pacified him,” said the panchayat president.
It is learnt that nearly 38 beneficiaries of the Life Mission Scheme are waiting for the fund in Omallur panchayat.
