Mumbai: Religious trusts, NGOs open their purses for marooned Konkan residents

MUMBAI: The marooned residents of storm battered Konkan are receiving a flood of help from voluntary and religious organisations in Mumbai. Shaken by visuals of submerged villages, NGOs began despatching relief material including raw food grains, household items, utensils, candles and items of sanitation to affected areas.
On Saturday, donors heeded the call of the Juma Masjid Trust and Be Human Foundation, and despatched five trucks loaded with relief material."These vehicles reached their destination after an arduous four-hour trip. More trucks will be sent soon," said Shuaib Khatib, chairman of the Juma Masjid Trust. One vehicle was loaded with 160 bags of food grain donated by a certain Rafiq Bhai. Each bag weighed 25 kilos.
Residents of Dongri, Nagpada and Mohammed Ali Road have been mobilising active support for Raigad-Chiplun. Many locals have roots in the Konkan. Journalist Amir Khan said, "We in Dongri are helping since day one. We are happy that even amid the Covid pandemic, Mumbaikars are donating generously. We have arranged 750 litres of milk, 2,000 litres of drinking water, food grains, clothes, medicine and utensils. Two tempos with relief material have already reached Chiplun." This team includes social workers Tabassum Dhorarjiwala, Usmaan Tambe and Naeem Nakhwa.
Khaana Chahiye, a fledgling NGO that took root during the lockdown, has set up collection centres for relief citywide.
The Catholic Church is stepping up to the plate in Mahad. On Tuesday Fr Nigel Barrett, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Mumbai, will despatch a truckload of food grains and household items to Mahad from Rosary Church, Mazgaon, where he is parish priest. Local clergymen in the flooded areas have appealed to their peers in Mumbai for help. Fr Nigel said, "Fr Pravin of Mahad sent an SOS to say the area was submerged under 15-20 ft of water, that the situation there was worse than 2005, when landslides devastated the town. He is setting up a kitchen to provide meals to people and basic rations. They have not had electricity for the last five days and mobile services are erratic. We have invited people and parishes to contribute essential food items and candles. Right now they do not need clothes, blankets or medicines, that might come in the next round."
The RSS organised a collection drive for food items in Dahisar under Nidhi Thakur, comprising rice, biscuits, vegetables and tea leaves, and Thane too.
Thane city opened its heart in fact, with residents inundating community and political groups with instant noodles, clothes, candles and matches, disinfectants and solar torches within minutes of Sunday's appeal.
Thinking out of the box, the Samast Mahajan Sanstha despatched 10 men along with raw material to cook hot khichdi for stranded residents. “We realised packed food won't help as it may get stale by the time it reaches. So we sent our staff and chef who will serve 5,000 people daily,” said chairman and trustee Girish Shah.
The All Thane Malayali Association appealed to members to pitch in. "We plan to send potable water, pulses and other essentials,” said member Sashikumar Nair.