In an effort to reassure survivors of the landslide-devastated Malin village of community support, a city-based organisation today announced its plan to send volunteers who would light the lamps and spend time with the shaken population on the occasion of Diwali next month.
"There are only 42 survivors who want to stay in the area. They are currently housed in an Ashramshaala in a nearby hamlet, awaiting rehabilitation by government. We will go there and light the first Diwali lamp for them, offering mental support and boost their spirit," Milind Bhoi, chairman of 'Bhoi Pratishthan', an NGO which has been involved in disaster relief work for a decade, told reporters here.
The Pratishthan volunteers, who spent a week at Malin in the aftermath of the catastrophe in Ambegaon taluka in the wake of heavy downpour in the hilly region, had been in constant touch with the displaced people, taking care of their needs that fell outside the purview of government agencies, he said.
"We have donated an incubator at the primary health facility in the vicinity to take care of low birth weight of newborns from the affected population and also setting up a library for students," Bhoi said.
On September 17, the NGO would bring a busload of 40 affected people from Malin to Pune and facilitate and co-ordinate an interface for a greater relief effort with the involvement of more NGOs, he added.
The project 'Let us rebuild Malin' undertaken by the Pratishthan would continue for a year, Bhoi stated.
Over 150 people were killed in the landslide at Malin village on July 30 this year.
