Transgenders join hands to distribute relief materials

The transgenders of Malda and North Dinajpur districts have come together to distribute relief materials in some flood-hit areas of north Bengal.

Around 45 members of the transgender community have joined hands to distribute relief materials in the two districts.

This monsoon, 11 districts of the state have been badly hit by the flood claiming 152 lives and affecting over 1.5 crore people.

"We are distributing relief materials among the flood affected people in Malda and North Dinajpur districts where the situation is very bad," Debi Acharya, looking after the relief distribution programme in Malda told PTI.

Acharya is a transgender rights activist and she runs the Sabla Kanyashree Convergence Programme.
 

She said that she along with other members of the community visited almost every household in Malda district and collected clothes, rice, biscuits, dry food, ORS and water purifying tablets as well as sanitary napkins.

"Some have also helped with money. We have also got relief materials from Kolkata collected by transgender activists," Acharya said.

Enquired whether they were facing any hindrances while distributing relief materials to the flood-hit people, Acharya said, "On the contrary, people were actually welcoming us with open arms."

Talking to PTI from North Dinajpur, West Bengal's first transgender judge of a Lok Adalat, Joyita Mahi Mondal, who is monitoring relief works there said, "It's a time when all must come together for helping others."

LGBT rights activist Avinaba Dutta has been coordinating the relief work from the city.

"We are communicating to our members through various social networking sites. We are making appeal there and we have called up people seeking their help," Dutta said.

Incidentally, two teams from the city had already visited North Dinajpur and Malda with relief materials.