Contributors to flood relief camps are hell-bent on sending cooked food, which does not meet the critical needs of shelter and clothes and seems to go down really badly with the North Karnataka palate
Contributors to flood relief camps are hell-bent on sending cooked food, which does not meet the critical needs of shelter and clothes and seems to go down really badly with the North Karnataka palate
Here's a case of help gone wrong. Individuals, clubs, and associations, have come forward to send contributions for flood victims, but their efforts of sending prepared food is going waste.
"Food is prepared according to the needs of the victims and we don't need prepared food from contributors," said home Minister V S Acharya, who is monitoring the relief operations in the city.
He added that the critical needs include rebuilding houses and clothes.
"We are requesting people to contribute to the relief fund, so that we can meet the requirement effectively," added Acharya.
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Helping hands: Chapathis being prepared for flood victims in North Karnataka by the residents of Basaveshwaranagar. |
Only rotis
Contributors, however, are in no mood to listen.
Harish Poonam, a real estate developer from Basaveswara Nagar, is determined to send five lakh chapattis, and has already bought three tons of wheat flour.
"I have already sent 50,000 chapattis to the camps in Bijapur and will meet the target in a couple of days," said Harish.
He added that contributing money to the relief fund would not satisfy him.
"I feel like I am feeding them with my hands when I send chapattis," he said.
North versus south
Suresh Bhatt, media coordinator of the relief operation, said that most of the flood victims are from North Karnataka, who don't prefer chapathis made in South Karnataka.
"They eat crisp rotis and Bangaloreans don't make them well. Distribution is another big task, as they go stale by the time they reach the camps."
New clothes, please
The IDL Foundation has sent clothes to relief camps.
P K Paul, founder and executive trustee of IDL, said, "We must learn from the experience of tsunami when materials were heaped at relief camps, and it was a big task to clear them after the operation."
Paul added that people should send new clothes and not dispose their old ones.
V S Acharya said, "We know the sensibilities of the victims and we are not accepting the old clothes."
We are asking people to send new dhotis and sarees," he added.
They're still waiting for helpMany camps are still waiting to receive help. "Bijapur camps have received help, while the victims in Belgaum camps cannot even change their clothes because nothing had reached here. We are trying to address this issue," said Bhat.
