The team started raising money for the flood victims since June.
It has been only a few months since the Uttarakhand floods that claimed the lives of thousands. Survivors are now left hungry and homeless after having lost their breadwinners in the disaster. In an attempt to make a difference to the lives of some, The Punjabi Cultural and Welfare Association (PCWA) carried out relief work in four villages of Uttarakhand, viz. Sangrali, Bagiyal, Simoldi and Duno.
PCWA teamed up with a local organisation called Shree Bhuvneshwari Mahila Asharam (SBMA) in Uttarakhand and visited the villages from August 25 to August 31 and met 300 affected families. Kits containing blankets, sleeping mats, rice packets and raincoats were distributed among the families. Also, 284 school going students from 10 schools were given biscuit packets, school bags and raincoats.
“Peoples’ main source of income was tourism but as no tourists have been visiting after the disaster, the condition has worsened.
In many villages, there is not even one male member in the family as they were all killed during the floods,” said Baljit Singh, executive member of PCWA, who made the journey to Uttarakhand.
He added that a lot of travel companies were unwilling to provide transportation initially, but after around 10 rejections they managed to get one. “Also, the physical challenges in reaching the place were aplenty due to closed road and blocks. A six hour drive from Chamba to Uttarkashi took over 18 hours after a lot of detours,” he said.
But the team was determined to reach the affected areas and distribute the kits to the needy, and that is what kept them going. “It took us a lot of time to collect donations from people in order to be able to provide basic necessities. We started in June itself, approaching the 11 Gurudwaras in Navi Mumbai, friends and family members and our community people.
Also, a camp was organised in Belapur by PCWA members for this purpose. In the end, we managed to collect over Rs4 lakh. It is satisfying to know that we became successful in our endeavour,” Singh said.
It is never too late
The Punjabi Cultural and Welfare Association (PCWA) carried out relief work in four villages of Uttarakhand, viz. Sangrali, Bagiyal, Simoldi and Duno
PCWA teamed up with a local organisation called Shree Bhuvneshwari Mahila Asharam (SBMA) in Uttarakhand and visited the villages from August 25 to August 31 and met 300 affected families
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