Indian expatriates have started a drive to collect relief aid for victims of Bihar floods, which have devastated the lives of more than three million people. Members of the Jeddah Chapter of the Bihar Anjuman (BA), a group of expatriates from Middle East, have appealed to the community to come forward to contribute funds, clothing and other materials like blanket, bedsheet etc. According to government figures 2.6 million people in 14 districts of Bihar have been affected by the flooding, which has also affected parts of Nepal. The river Kosi broke through the bank and altered its path, flooding districts where people were unsuspecting of the disaster. According to assessment of the State Government, the damage amounts to Rs390.53 crores. Nearly 185 people have lost their lives so far. “We agreed to collect fund and clothes to send to the needy before the end of Ramadan,” said Khalid Hashmi , a member of BA-Jeddah chapter. “We have two options to send the collections: through cash and kind. One of our active members will check the matter in Bihar for processing the distribution in a proper way. We will send the same to our Patna Chapter in order to hand over to Imarat Sharaih,” he told Saudi Gazette. “The funds that are sent through other sources hardly reach the Muslims. Imarat Shariah is a government approved agency for such activities,” said Shakeel Ahmed , one of the founders of BA from United Arab Emirates. “Donors can use Zakat Fund for Flood Victims for Relief or Assistance in the account number CD 55-1 of Imarat Shariah by The Jammu and Kashmir Bank of Phulwari Sharif Patna branch. Imarat Shariah is a socio-religious organization of the Muslims belonging to the state of Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa in particular and other parts of the Indian subcontinent in general, situated in the township of Phulwari Sharif, Patna, the Capital of Bihar (India). “We are looking for the support of the Consulate and want to discuss how Indian Consulate can help us in collection and dispatching the collected material to Patna,” said Muhammad Qaisar, another member of BA in Jeddah. However, the Indian Consulate in Jeddah showed fewer possibilities to organize any camp for the funding activity in Jeddah. “They will be allowed if it is feasible to collect the funds. If they can get permission to collect the fund from relevant Saudi authorities, then we have to check the requirement of support, feasibility and need,” said B.S. Mubarak, consul for Press, Information and Haj. The requirement and need for relief are too obvious and pressing to be checked at this moment. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced an immediate assistance of Rs10 billion for rescue and relief operations as well as 125,000 tonnes food grain after an aerial survey along with Congress president Sonia Gandhi of the four most-seriously-hit districts - Supaul, Saharsa, Araria and Madhepura. The ministry of home affairs and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is also providing jointly some additional motorized boats for rescue operations, while the department of animal husbandry will provide assistance for the livestock affected by the floods. “We are very sad to see this situation in Bihar. We should not follow the culture of silence”, commented Khalid Hashmi, who belongs to Nawadah District of Bihar and works as a Marketing Manager in Jeddah. Mohammed Qaisar, an Executive secretary in Jeddah from Nalanda District of Bihar, said that after floodwaters recede the rehabilitation work will start. But before that the survival need of victims is food, shelter and clothes. The population of Bihar is about 90 million and aid agencies assessed that about 5 millions people have been affected from the floods. “Bihar community needs much more than sympathy,” said Aijaz Haque, a member of BA of Jeddah chapter. __
