By IANS
Patna/New Delhi : Dashrath Manjhi, who single-handedly carved out a road by cutting through a Bihar mountain for 21 years, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi in a critical condition.
Official sources said Manjhi was shifted from the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PNMCH) to AIIMS Monday after doctors attending on him said he needed better treatment.
Manjhi, popularly known as Bihar's mountain man, was admitted to the Patna hospital's ICU Saturday night after he was diagnosed with severe jaundice.
Two days ago Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited PNMCH to inquire about ailing Manjhi. He announced that the state government would bear the entire cost of his treatment.
Manjhi, who is in his late 70s, had earned fame by single-handedly carving out a 360-feet-long, 25-feet-high and 30-feet-wide passage through a mountain near Gehlore village in Gaya district, about 100 km from here.
He started the extraordinary task in 1967 when his wife was injured and he had to go around the mountain to reach the nearest hospital.
After he finished the epic project in 1988, he met several ministers and bureaucrats with a request to construct a metalled road through the mountain. But his dream remains unfulfilled.
In June, Nitish Kumar gave a green light to the project to construct a road through the mountain, but the work is yet to start.