By Matters India Reporter
Kolkata, June 30, 2020: While Covid 19 challenges the rest of the world; the people of West Bengal suffer also from the aftermath of Amphan super cyclone.
To their help has come the social service wing of the Calcutta Jesuit, ‘Udayani Social Action Forum.’ Along with scores of NGOs it has reached relief and rehabilitation to hundreds hit by cyclone as well the Coronavirus pandemic.
The super cyclonic storm Amphan in May caused widespread damage at more than US$12 billion in eastern India, specifically West Bengal, and Bangladesh. In India, it left a trail of destruction in Bengal’s East Midnapur, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, Hooghly and Howrah as well as Odisha. At least 86 people died in West Bengal.
The Jesuit agency’s relief program first galvanized local women to reach out to 1,800 people severely affected by Covid-19. Members of various local women groups volunteered to help alleviate the pain of twin tragedy victims.
The women, mostly Dalit and Tribal, risked their lives to bring relief to the poor after realizing that the rich and the government had ignored the those people. They walked unknown paths and tough terrain to survey the people affected by Coronavirus and the cyclone.
The women categorized widows, elderly couples, lactating women, people without ration card, the sick ignored by society and the government. They visited relatively affluent families to collect funds for their relief programs.
“These firebrand women have helped Udayani play a key role during its relief work,” says Jesuit Father Arun Lucas, the agency’s director.
Most affected by the lockdown, the Jesuit explained, were farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers, women and aged people as the poor have lost their means of income.
The local unit of the‘Right to Food Network campaign distributed relief kit for 500 people in villages.
According to Father Lucas, many people were ignored by the local government officials who distributed relief on the basis of various subsidy cards. “Many deserving people were completely ignored and they could not buy things on their own as the prices were very high,” he told Matters India.
To remove the disparity among people, Udayani joined five regional NGOs to distribute relief in Burdhwan, Hooghly and South 24 Parganas district. The ration kits contained 5 kg rice, 500 ml mustard oil, 800 gms of pulses, 1kg salt and a soap bar.
Rupa Soren from Beguniya village says she would feed her children for 25 days with the provisions.
Father Lucas says the Amphan cyclone was a nightmare for villagers, who have not recovered from the devastation even after a month.
“The devastating storm brought down thousands of thatched houses in villages. “The condition of people remains the same even now,” the priest explained.
Women volunteers responded to the crises by donning masks and cycling to villages to talk to people and ease their pain and suffering.
The priest said the local administration was seen surveying the villages to identify people to help even after 25 days of the cyclone. Only a few villagers received the compensation the government announced in their bank accounts. But the majority were given only tarpaulins to erect make shift shelters, he added.
Therefore Udayani intervened with the help women from local NGOs to reach out to 1,600 families in five blocks. “That was of course an immediate response to the tragic situation,” Father Lucas said. Udayani has so far helped 2,300 cyclone affected.