Popular Front of India Reaches Out to Flood Victims
Media Release by Arif Jokatte
Bangalore, Oct 11: In the recent floods that struck north Karnataka and part of Andhra Pradesh there were large scale devastation and loss to life and property. Rising to the occasion, Popular Front of India (PFI) sent its cadres to affected areas for rescue and relief operations.
The PFI rescue teams concentrated on Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Bijapur, Raichur and Bagalkot (Karnataka) as they were the worst-affected districts. During rescue operation, a PFI worker Salahuddin (50) lost his life in Kurnool district but operations remained unaffected.
Kurnool: For relief works at Kurnool, cadre from Nandyal, Vizag, Hyderabad and other smaller towns were immediately summoned to Kurnool. The cadres assisted hundreds of people to safer grounds and provided immediate nourishment as they were hungry and had not eaten for more than 36 hours. PFI volunteers selflessly putting their life at risk rescued people from their flooded houses with the help of crude boats to safer areas and women and children were accommodated in a temporary camp at station masjid for about five days.
PFI cadres from Karnataka too were summoned for jobs such as cleaning up houses which were layered with thick silt which had overflowed from the river beds and preparation of food after the floods subsided. Different teams in-charge of cooking, food distribution, cleaning, medical camp, public relations, store and media.
Bijapur: The PFI with a sanctioned amount of Rs 65,000 prepared about 250 flood relief kits. Each flood relief kit comprised 10 kgs of rice, cereals, dal, oil and basic spices. Along with the kit a blanket to combat the cold was given to large number of people besides another 250 blankets that were given to poor people who lived on footpaths and roadsides.
Bellary: The relief activities in Bijapur will continue till the affected people are rehabilitated with the required basic needs. The other State units of Popular Front like Kerala and Tamil Nadu who are experienced in relief work including the large scale Tsunami relief have been summoned to prepare team and dispatch them when ordered.
Few experienced cadres from Tamil Nadu will also reach the affected areas to provide the guidance to the Karnataka cadres in relief activities. Relief team contacts are relief activity general convenor, Elyas Thumbay 09740935478, Kurnool AP, Moulana Kaleemullah 09731791861, Bellary and Raichur, Shareef Kodaje 09900869977, Bijapur Ismail Katpady 09844629229 and Gulbarga, Firoze Ali 09845801998