Relief Distribution at Kedar Ghati

Team of 30 volunteers under the banner of HKFFL Udhampur and directed by Chairman H. H. Nava Yogendra Maharaj made the base camp at Haridwar to distribute relief among the victims of flash floods in Kedarnath valley and adjoining areas. In June 2013 there was heavy rainfall and cloud burst in Kedar valley in the Uttarakhand state of India, which is a well known pilgrimage site. According to some unofficial reports more than 50,000 people lost their lives in this disaster and lakhs were affected. In one village, there now remain only widows, as all the men of that village were Priests at the Kedarnath Temple and some were shopkeepers. None of them survived during the disaster. Entire villages and settlements such as Gaurikund and Rambada have been obliterated.

Moved by the incident H. H. Nava Yogendra Maharaj sent a 4 member team of local volunteers to check the conditions of local people at the affected area and the help they are receiving. Their reports were surprising. According to them the worst affected people are surviving on the leaves of trees. The so called relief distribution as propagated by the media is not more than a hoax. Of course everyone wants to help the victims but no one was getting the proper channel. So much money was sent for the relief work from all over the world but not even one percent was being used properly. In fact money is not the only thing but more important is that victims require adequate assistance.

On the call of H. H. Nava Yogendra Maharaj volunteers of HKFFL tightened their belts and collected the basic necessities of life, required to rehabilitate the survivals. A Package was made to be given to each family, containing 19 items (wheat flour, rice, pickle, refined oil, pulses, salt, spices, black channa, sattu, chipped rice, puffed rice, powdered milk, cooker, torch, candle, match box, blankets, t shirt and plates). Items worth Rupees 7 Lakhs for 450 families were collected. Team headed by the Managing trustee Kunti Devi and Sanjay Vyasa Das started early in the morning, packed in three trucks, unaware of the challenging mission. Passing through the damaged and land slided roads, which itself was showing the intensity of the devastation, we reached Tilwada. After passing the night in a hotel we started for Guptkashi. Although it was only 100 Kms far, it took us whole day because of damaged road. One of our Truck out of three remained struck in the Jaam for more than 20 hours because of Landslide. At Guptkashi there was no electricity since past one month. Our mobile phones discharged. We had some biscuits and rested for the night.

Next day onwards, for three days we started distributing relief to the nearby villages like Phata, Kalimath and others. Our volunteers went to some inaccessible villages and called local villagers from there to receive the aid. We were happy that the aid went to the persons in need of it.

Kunti devi said that we will try to collect more funds and help the widows by providing them with all basic necessities of life, and arrange for some fixed source of income for them. The team returned back succeeding in the mission, taking with them sweet and bitter memories of the incident, with the pledge to come back and help the victims as soon as more funds are arranged.

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