Chief Minister meets Sneha's family, assures housing support

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Friday met the family of Sneha, a girl with cerebral palsy, at his office in the Secretariat and assured them that their request for a house would be considered.

The Chief Minister met Sneha's grandmother, Seethalakshmi, and her younger sister, Jyothi, a Class 9 student, and expressed support for the family. The meeting followed a Kerala Kaumudi report published last month that featured a photograph of Sneha's father, Murugan, carrying her through a waterlogged road during heavy rain. The report drew the attention of the Chief Minister's Office.

The family lives in a rented house near Munnamanakkal Temple in Pettah, Thiruvananthapuram. They pay a monthly rent of Rs 7,000 and spend around Rs 5,000 every month on Sneha's treatment.

Sneha, who is bedridden due to cerebral palsy, has lost her vision, hearing and speech. She also lost sight in her left eye after a blood vessel ruptured due to high blood pressure. She suffers frequent epileptic seizures and requires regular hospital visits.

During the monsoon, Murugan has to carry Sneha through waterlogged roads contaminated by wastewater from the nearby Pettah railway tracks to reach the nearest point, about 200 metres from their home, where an ambulance can access the area.

Murugan, a painter, is the family's sole breadwinner. The family had earlier visited the Secretariat hoping to meet the Chief Minister, but they were unable to do so at the time.