28 January 2007
Poverty Forced Kidney Sales
Our women were forced to sell their kidneys because of object poverty following the tsunami destruction. They did not get any monetary or other benefits either from
the voluntary organizations or the government”, said Mr. Jaya Balayyan, president of fishermen’s association, Ennore.
Mr.Balayyan and most of the women who sold their kidneys for amounts ranging from Rs.15000 to Rs.40000 (against the promised amount of Rs.1.5 lakhs) narrated their tearful stories to Chennai Plus team of reporters who visited the fishing community’s temporary rehabilitation centre.
Some women had even sold their hair for Rs.130 to Rs.150 to buy ration. The govt. schemes have not reached them, they lament. Free ration, and the recently launched free gas stove and other sops, are yet to find their way to the hamlet.
“If is sheer penury that drove the poor women to go to the extreme of selling their kidneys at throw away prices”, Mr.Balaiyan says with passion.