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”.