the goan I network
PANAJI
Malayali students in Goan colleges have come together to try and provide relief to Kerala flood victims. The students from Chowgule College, Goa Engineering College (GEC), and Kare Law College have formed a group called the ‘Goa Students Rescue Team’ (GSRT).
The members, who were initially working separately with their respective college mates, got together on Thursday and the initiative is picking up momentum steadily.
“I have family in Kerala who are affected so I knew I wanted to do something. I started an initiative with a friend of mine in college. A few juniors put me in touch with students from Chowgule College who were also doing the same thing,” said Andrea Joseph, a final year student at GEC.
“We’re still trying to collaborate with more colleges. We’ve talked to some collection centers in Kerala. Since we have contacts in Kerala, we know exactly what is required, so we’re trying to put the word out there to get people to contribute,” she said.
GSRT is also working with the Goa Malayali Cultural Association to arrange transport.
“We’re giving the goods and money only to NGOs whom we know personally across Kerala, rather than giving it to a collective fund,” said Andrea.
Meanwhile, Athira Chandran, a final year student from Chowgule College, now part of GSRT, has also been working tirelessly to bring relief to those affected in Kerala. Athira’s brother, who is in Karunagapally in Kerala, says that it is very difficult to rescue those in the Chengannur area which is the hardest hit at the moment.
Athira, who has been in touch with the Navy, told ‘The Goan’ on Saturday that the Navy has really been a huge help and just talking to them gives her a lot of reassurance.
“While the fishermen and Navy have been helping a lot, the common man cannot help,” said Athira. “People are stuck on roofs of houses waiting for relief packages,” she said, while highlighting that the immediate priority is to rescue people.
“The people need to be rescued first. There are just around 90 people working to rescue 10,000,” she said, while explaining that relief packages were getting stuck in Kannur, after which transport was cut off.
Athira said that because buses and trains were cut off and choppers were limited, the relief packages were not reaching the place where they were most required. “It is a very slow process right now. We can only hope that the government declares it a Central Emergency, as a lot more man power and choppers are needed if people are to be rescued,” she added.
Meanwhile, the scale of the disaster has moved many in Goa to step in and support the relief effort.
Already, the Goa Catholic Church, has sent a significant contribution to Caritas India and has appealed to its laity to make generous donations.
Also, Street Providence Trust and Food Bank for the Poor, an initiative which has set up food storage centres across Goa to preserve food which otherwise would be wasted and then distributes for free to the poor, as collected 3,000 soaps, 1000 powder boxes and 2000 sanitary pads in a single day on Friday. These will be dispatched to the flood-hit Kerala.
In a tweet late Saturday, Goa’s Tourism Minister, Manohar Ajgaonkar, pledged to donate his one-month’s salarly to the Kerala CM’s Relief Fund. He also appealed to his colleagues in the cabinet and Goans in general to contribute generously.
“Deeply pained by devastation caused due to floods in Kerala. I will donate my one month salary as contribution to relief fund, request my colleagues and Goemkars to extend their help #KeralaReliefFund” Ajgaonkar tweeted.
