In the aftermath of Cyclone Fani, members of the Odia community in Navi Mumbai have been attempting to collect relief supplies and funds for their state. They are inspired by the way the Malayali community in the Mumbai Metropolitan region worked to send relief goods after the floods in Kerala last August.
Such efforts are a government responsibility, said Rashmikant Mahapatra, a Belapur resident, and one of the core member of the team, “but it is also a social responsibility. We always say, ‘government, government,’ but we must remember that we are also government.” There is no one organisation or government body coordinating the initiative, he said.
Given that it is the poorest members of the community who will be the most affected, with their homes destroyed and livelihoods endangered, the initial idea was to focus on medicines, and other goods such as -- household supplies, sanitation products, toiletries, and clothing -- that would help the affected rebuild their lives.
After a meeting on Sunday afternoon, the team agreed that they don’t have enough information on what kind of help was needed and where, so they altered their plan.
Instead of centring their effort around Odisha Bhavan in Vashi, as they had first thought, they will, for now, accept donations of blankets and medicines at a makeshift centre in the NRI Complex at Seawoods. Several pharmaceutical companies have got in touch about donating medicines, Mr. Mahapatra said. In addition, they are working on arranging for potable water in tankers to be supplied from neighbouring States like Andhra Pradesh, which they will pay for.
There have already been commitments from the community to donate between seven and eight lakh rupees, but the volunteers have decided not to collect the money; instead the team has been asking potential donors to give to the CM’s relief fund or directly pay suppliers and vendors for the sending of donated goods. Mr. Mahapatra stressed that the Odisha Chief Minister’s Relief Fund is the best way to donate funds directly.
Longer term, Mr. Mahapatra said, the plan is for the Odia community in the MMR to find out which was the most affected village and ‘adopt’ it. “This will not be a short-term commitment. It will mean several months.”
The outreach has just started, Mr. Mahapatra said. “We are reaching out across the community. There are around 20,000 Odia people in the Navi Mumbai area, and around three to four lakh in the Mumbai region.” He was particularly pleased that there have been queries from concerned citizens who have no connection to the State. “This has happened in Mumbai every time any disaster happens.”
Donors can contact Mr. Mahapatra at sezindia@gmail.com. Odisha CM’s relief fund: cmrfodisha.gov.in/donation/onlinedonation.php
