Kultali, Sunderbans: The Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage (KSCH) joined hands with I Am Kolkata from the Merlin Group under the aegis o...
Kultali, Sunderbans: The Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage (KSCH) joined hands with I Am Kolkata from the Merlin Group under the aegis of the Directorate of Forest, 24-Parganas South division, Government of West Bengal Forest Department and organized a relief programme for the victims of cyclone Yaas in the Sundarbans recently. The relief programme was the first organized relief programme in the Sundarbans after the devastating cyclone hit the delta islands.
KSCH is the first
social enterprise in India to have collaborated with the state Forest Department
and reached out to the Sundarbans when the cyclone struck to take part in
disaster management. KSCH reached out in Gosaba, Sagar Island, Pathar Pratima
to gauge the possible impact of Yaas on the Sundarbans along with the
state forest department and do the pre-emptive barrage strengthening. They have
already distributed food worth 12 tonnes to 43,000 villagers and dry food to
1500 families sporadically.
The relief
material was distributed to more than 1000 families in five villages, Deulbari
I & II, Kultali I & Kultai II and Kantamari of Sundarbans. Sourav
Mukherji, KSCH president, presented the relief material measuring 5 tons in the
presence of Milan Mondal, DFO, Directorate of Forest, 24-Parganas South and
officials of Merlin Group. The programme was also supported by other individual
donors. Items like drinking water, flattened rice, biscuits, batasha, soap,
bleaching powder, tarpaulin, masks, and sanitary napkins were donated to them
for this noble mission.
Milan Mandal said, “The forest deparment had been doing its best to help the distressed
people in the Sundarbans area and we got Kolkata Society For Cultural Heritage
to support us from the beginning – be it disaster management or relief. The
support of Merlin Group and others is also very commendable in this initiative.
We have to continue several such initiatives.”
Sourav Mukherjee said,
“We are trying our best to help the people of the Sundarbans. The Sundarbans
has always been susceptible to natural calamities in West Bengal because of its
geographical presence. Cyclone Yaas was a huge blow to the people here. I want
to thank the Forest Department of South 24-Parganas for making the arrangement
of transport to reach out to the remote villages and the Merlin Group for
standing beside us as the first corporate with their fund and other noble
donors for their continuous support in this relief programme. A total of more
than 5 tonnes of materials have been distributed to the families. We are trying
our best to bring back a smile on the people of the Sundarbans.”
Saket Mohta, founder of I Am Kolkata and MD of Merlin Group said, “There are a huge number of people who
have been recently affected by the cyclone. We are just trying to help most of
the people through KSCH who has been the front runner in the relief work and
disaster management work in the Sundarbans area. People of the Sundarbans need
help and I insist more corporates to come together and stand for the Sundarbans
and other worst hit areas like Digha and South 24-Pargana and Midnapur to help
them rebuild their lives.”
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