Holding on to a walking stick, Kuzhandaivelu in his mid-sixties had come all the way from his native Nainarpalayam in Villupuram district to hear the verdict.
The aged man was among the 66 villagers who had lost their vision in the eye camp conducted more than six years ago by the Joseph Hospital at Perambalur.
Many of the hapless victims of the eye surgery from Nainarpalayam and Kadavanur villages turned up at the Chief Judicial Magistrate court. Some of them were accompanied by their attendants.
Even after six years, the villagers were yet to overcome the pain and sufferings they had been undergoing ever since they were operated upon and lost their vision. Most pathetic was the case of Mr. Kuzhandaivelu as he was voiceless to express his anguish unlike other victims.
A speech impaired person, Kuzhandaivelu pointed to his left eye in which he had lost vision after the surgery. He flashed a small card which carried his name and that of his father to convey his identity, unable to speak further about the sufferings he had undergone.
Recalling the pain and agony he had undergone, 60-year-old Sangan also of Nainarpalayam village said: “My left eye vision was completely lost after the surgery and now my right eye vision is slowly fading.”
A daily wage earner, Sangan said the excruciating pain he suffered after the operation was something he just could not forget.
“The pain was really unbearable. The operation has taken away my livelihood as I am unable to do any work having become visually impaired,” he said.
Although the villagers could not comprehend the nitty-gritty of the verdict, all they wanted was substantial compensation to fend for themselves for the rest of their lives.
“I have become a lifeless person after the surgery which has taken away my livelihood. All that I need now is adequate compensation to take care of myself”, said Arumugam of Aanankadu village in Villupuram district. There should be no discrimination in respect of age or income when it comes to sanction of compensation, he said.
“The loss of vision has played havoc in our lives robbing our livelihood and we should be properly compensated,” said Chinnapillai of Kadavanur who also sought higher compensation.
