A new low: 2 Fatehabad villages record gender ratio at 143

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, June 12

The gender ratio of newborn children in 33 villages of this district has been found less 50 per cent, meaning that 500 or fewer girls were born against 1,000 boys last year, claim officials in the district Health Department.

This indicates a large-scale determination of gender of unborn children.

The data compiled by the department has brought out gender ratio of newborns in Dashmesh Nagar and Ladhuwali Dhani villages is 143 girls.

Both villages situated on the Haryana-Punjab border fall under the Community Health Centre (CHC), Jakhal — a town that shares a part of its population with the neighbouring state.

Of the 33 villages, 15 fall under the Jakhal community centre.

Ratia, a sub-divisional town of Fatehabad situated on the Haryana-Punjab border, shares the blame with Jakhal with regard to the poor gender ratio. In all, 10 villages under the CHC, Ratia, have gender ratio at birth below 500.

As per a list of villages with gender ratio less than 700 prepared by the department, three girls against 21 boys were born in Dashmesh Nagar in 2014. As for Ladhuwali Dhani, a girl was born against seven boys in the corresponding period.

In Talwara, Kalandargarh and Talwari villages falling under Jakhal, the gender ratio at birth has been found to be 222, 250 and 300, respectively. In Bhurthali, Budanpur and Nathuwal, the gender ratio is 333.

In Raipur Dhani village falling under the CHC, Ratia, 267 girls were born against 1,000 boys last year, while Razabad and Alalwas villages coming under this health centre have a gender ratio of 333.

Villages under Primary Health Centres (PHC) in Mamupur and Kulan villages have gender ratio at birth below 500. Both PHCs come under the jurisdiction of CHCs in Jakhal and Ratia.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal recently convened a meeting of members of panchayat of these villages and urged them to improve the situation.

Fatehabad Civil Surgeon Dr Suraj Bhan Kamboj admitted the situation was worrisome. “There are reports that some people get pregnant women tested for the gender of children from Punjab and unauthorised quacks operating in the region. A quack was arrested from Kulan and a doctor from Moonak in Punjab booked recently,” he added.

The district unit of the All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) expressed concern over the shocking gender ratio in the 33 villages. Jaswant Kaur, district secretary, AIDWA, said lackadaisical attitude of the authorities was to blame for the poor state of affairs.