Villagers Carry Pregnant Woman in Sling to Raigad Hospital Due to Lack of Roads

During the recent monsoon season, villagers in Umbarane Wadi, located in the Khalapur taluka of Raigad district near the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, were forced to carry a pregnant woman in labor to a hospital using a makeshift cloth sling. The lack of an all-weather motorable road prevented emergency ambulance access to the tribal hamlet, forcing residents to navigate dangerous terrain to secure medical help.

The pregnant woman, identified as the wife of Ananta Pardhi, had to be transported after she went into labor. With no proper road leading to the settlement, residents fashioned a makeshift sling out of a bedsheet. They carried her for several kilometers across a rugged forest path, navigating slippery rocks, uneven terrain, and overflowing streams to reach Chouk Hospital, where she was admitted for delivery.

Umbarane Wadi is among four tribal settlements in the area, including Pirkadwadi and Arkaswadi, that continue to lack basic infrastructure such as all-weather roads and electricity. Residents noted that the narrow footpath connecting their village to Chouk was recently washed away by heavy monsoon rains, making access even more difficult for the community.

The incident has triggered sharp criticism from local residents who questioned government claims of development. Ironically, these remote hamlets are located close to the Morbe Dam, which supplies drinking water to Navi Mumbai, and are situated just a few kilometers from the Khalapur Toll Plaza on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

Locals pointed out the stark contrast of motorists paying tolls to travel on one of India's busiest and most modern highways while nearby villagers are still forced to carry patients on foot due to the absence of a basic road. Following the incident, residents have renewed their demands for all-weather roads, electricity, and other basic civic amenities.