In a heart-wrenching scene at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) in Odisha’s Balasore, dozens of persons with disabilities were seen spending the entire night on hospital verandahs and corridors to secure their place in line for disability certification, ahead of the scheduled Divyang Mela on Wednesday.

Individuals from various blocks across the district began arriving on the hospital premises as early as Tuesday evening. With no official arrangements for overnight stay, many sat or lay down on cold floors, braving mosquito bites and discomfort through the night. Some were even seen sleeping in corners of the hospital verandah, hoping to be among the first to be attended the next morning.

According to reports, the rush was due to previous experiences where many applicants were unable to complete the certification process due to overcrowding during the day. Determined not to return empty-handed this time, applicants and their families camped overnight in the hope of early registration.