Malda, Sept. 16 -- As floodwaters continue to isolate large parts of Bhutni in Malda's Manikchak, relief is flowing in from across the district, with the administration, business community, personal initiatives and youth groups joining hands to reach stranded families with food, drinking water and other essentials.
A group of youths from Harishchandrapur, Samsi and Bhado travelled by boat through difficult waterways to reach remote flood-hit areas of Bhutni and distributed food among more than 500 families on Wednesday.
"We wanted to ensure that relief reaches people in the most difficult-to-access areas. Their condition showed us how urgently they needed support," said social worker Asif Karim, who participated in the initiative. The business community has also stepped up. The Malda Merchants' Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with other business organisations, handed over 10 truckloads of relief materials to the district administration on Wednesday. The consignment included rice, pulses, potatoes, baby food, mosquito nets, blankets and other essentials.
"The business community stands with the flood-affected people of Bhutni. We will continue to support relief operations," said chamber president Ujjal Saha.
The district administration has mounted an extensive relief operation during the first 13 days of the flood response. According to its action-taken report till September 16, 22 relief camps are housing 7,036 people, while 26 gruel kitchens are providing cooked food. As many as 193 boats have been deployed for evacuation and distribution of relief materials.
As many as 299 pregnant women have been shifted to safer locations, while 934 anti-venom kits have been kept ready.
The administration has also deployed 219 Civil Defence Volunteers, 105 generator sets and 351 temporary toilets.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.