By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS), Shillong has appealed the general public and organizations to render financial support, services and other charitable care to provide food, shelter and medical care in the aftermath of the Uttaranchal natural disaster that rocked the Northern Indian state last month. The BSS, a charitable non-governmental organization, has made similar appeals all over the country through its branches and centres.
“The devastation is irreparable,” said Swami Damodarananda, secretary, BSS, Shillong adding that BSS volunteers and monks sourced from all over the country have been pressed into the services of the affected lot.
While informing that three of its monks Swami Jagadishananda, Swami Sarbolokananda, Swami Kedarnathananda along with few novice Sanyasins from two of its branches at Kedarnath and Gaurikund have lost their lives in the tragedy the secretary said, “There is an increasing demand for additional immediate care for those who are affected in this Himalayan state.”
The BSS has set up relief centers at Badrinath, Ukhimath, Guptkashi, Rishikesh and other places.
“We are also engaged in tracing the scattered household materials and resettle them. Whatever support that is coming is being immediately transferred to our headquarters and eventually passed on to the relief site,” the secretary said.
Both its branches at Uttaranchal are now part of history and the secretary said that not less than 60,000 people have died in the tragedy.
Among them were many foreigners as bodies are still lying underneath the debris emanating foul stench in the entire shrine town.
“Those which used to be human settlements and shrines have now become rivers. The scene is similar to what this place used to be 150 years ago,” said Damodarananda who attended a medical camp at Pandharpur in Maharashtra last month but ill health stopped him from proceeding to Kedarnath.