PROBASHI- A Cultural News Magazine Volume 2 Issue 2 | Page 18
Probashi-Cover Theme
Distribution godowns and started
food distribution and coordinated
its movement under very trying
situations. All other departments
put their best foot forward.
The district magistrate stationed
himself at the Joshimath helipad for
next 13 days to coordinate rescue
and relief work. 1200 staff from the
civil administration was deployed
on relief operations. They were
securing food, managing land
transportation for evacuation,
maintain law and order, making
available stay for thousands of
victims, managed frayed nerves,
provide medical help, restarted
water, electricity and sanitation
services, controlled epidemics and
much more. Most importantly they
demonstrated that the Government
was in control and was doing its
utmost. The civilian authorities also
coordinated and configured the
deployment of army and para
military.
With the whole day spent in
coordinating the relief and rescue
work at the Joshimath helipad, Mr
Murugesan would till late in the
night answer to hundreds of text
messages from people across the
country inquiring the status of their
near and dear ones. He would
assure them that things were under
control and that he and his team
would bring the stranded pilgrims
to safety. And the District
Magistrate and his team walked the
talk- no person died during rescue
and transportation in Chamoli
district..
We can leave the nation in safe
hands: Immediately after the flood,
relief material started pouring into
Uttarakhand from all over the
country.
Various
State
Governments, Central Government
agencies,
Public
Sector
Uttarakhand Flood Rescue
Students from KNU Government Inter College , Pithoragarh, who were part of the
494 school students who volunteered to pack relief supplies for the flood victims
in Pithoragarh.
Undertakings,
Civil
Society
Organisations, Corporate Sector,
Religious trusts and also individuals
sent relief supplies including large
amount of food and essential
items. In a highly coordinated
response this material was
transported to the effected
districts. Dr Neeraj Kharwal, District
Magistrate, Pithoragarh had a
problem, there were not enough
hands to repack the relief material
which had come in bulk packaging
into individual households packs
for further distribution and time
was on short supply. An urgent call
was made to District Education
Officer to explore the possibility of
finding
volunteers.
Students,
mostly National Social Service
(NSS) and National Cadet Corps
(NCC) cadets, from 14 schools
across Pithoragarh town were
requested to volunteer and in an
unprecedented
response,
approximately 500 children from XI
an XII classes volunteered of which
16
40% were girls. These children in
batches of ten were deployed along
with the ITBP personnel at the relief
material store at LMS Rajkiya
Snakotar
Mahavidyalay,
KNU
Government Inter College and Naini
Saini Helipad Pithoragarh. These
children meticulously packed the
relief material in three shifts of four
hour each for 15 days from 20 June
till first week of July. They were a
critical link in the relief distribution
chain which reached the flood
victims across remote villages in the
district. And interestingly the school
teachers would take after school
classes for the children who were at
the relief material packaging sites
during regular school hours.
It is said that the foundation of
every country is in the education of
its youth. And as these boys and
girls were packing relief supplies for
the flood victims, they were getting
hands-on lessons in a topic called
“Compassion”.