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Hyderabad reaches out to Kerala

Anbodu Kochi has agreed to take all the material along with them in buses and are ensuring that it reaches the right persons.

Hyderabad: As Kerala faces its worst floods since 1924, with thousands missing and lakhs stranded on the top floors of inundated houses and camps, students and other people from Hyderabad are sending relief material to the State.

Due to heavy rains and the flooded lands, the transportation of the collected material has become a huge challenge, as the trains and flights have got cancelled and highways are damaged. NGOs like Akshaya Patra and Anbodu Kochi are coming forward and lending a helping hand.

Anbodu Kochi has agreed to take all the material along with them in buses and are ensuring that it reaches the right persons.

Various pickup points have been arranged for collection at EFLU, TISS, Banjara Hills, SMR Vinay City, University of Hyderabad, and all the collected material is likely to be transported this Friday depending on the condition of highways to Kochi by the Hyderabad team. The same process has been happening on a daily basis in other cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Ahmedabad as well from the organisation, explained Mr A. Biswas, from Anbodu Kochi.

"They do not need old clothes, shoes or bedcovers. We are more keen on collecting relief material like candles, soaps, sanitary napkins, chappals, rice bags, medicines, plates and glasses, groceries, towels, rather than the monetary help as back at Kerala there are no shops to buy anything. Even if we receive any monetary help, we are utilising the money to buy items and then we are sending them, said a volunteer, Ms Roshna Arafa Ali.

Volunteers are reaching out to people throughout the country via social media, spreading messages to help people with various hashtags like #HyderabadwithKerala, #Keralafloods and others. Ms Lakshmi Priya, who has been actively involved in the collection of food and relief material, said, "We have got a huge positive response through the social media, many people have responded immediately and have reached out to help. Even sitting here in cities like Hyderabad, we are able to help out people in Kerala."

On the other hand Kerala Malayali Association is also collecting relief material on Sunday at Ravindra Bharati from 10 am to 10 pm. Mr Mohan Hemmadi, member of Rotary Club, said, "We are still planning on how to send the relief material as the highways are blocked."

SpiceJet is helping the Kerala flood victims by running 76 additional flights and also by offering a full refund for passengers for flights to and fro from Kochi on cancellations and for booking an alternate flight for the next 10 days from the date of travel. Passengers have also been offered the option to take flights out of Coimbatore, Madurai, Tuticorin, Calicut and Trivandrum.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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