Residents of Bengaluru are showing solidarity with the people of Kodagu district and Kerala by making generous donations of relief material. A collection centre at Kodava Samaja in Vasanth Nagar is teeming with activity, with a large number of people donating food items, toiletries, first aid kits, blankets, clothes, and other materials for the flood victims.

“We have taken a day off work and have been doing this continuously to provide [the victims] some relief. We are doing the best we can from here,” said Akshita, a volunteer at the Samaja. There were about 150 volunteers helping with loading and sending trucks from the centre on Saturday. People from the neighbouring districts of Kolar, Tumakuru and others also contributed relief material at the centre.

K. Radhakrishna Holla, president of the Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners’ Association (BTTOA), said: “Various organisations have joined us and donated six tonnes of materials, including rice, clothes, and medical kits. On Sunday, we will dispatch these materials to Kushalnagar.”

In Bengaluru, private companies, government agencies, schools and colleges too are taking part in collecting relief material in various parts of the city.

The collection centre at the Confederation of Indian Industry, at HAL II Stage, Indiranagar, has also been gathering relief material for four days. A volunteer at the centre said: “The response from the public was good and we have dispatched four trucks full of relief material. One of the trucks has reached flood-hit areas in Wayanad. There are over 50 volunteers working at the collection centre.”

Pitching in

While voluntary rain relief contributions are being made by citizen groups, some government departments, political leaders and parties too are pitching in. The Department of Medical Education has decided to send a team of 20 doctors to help victims, and the department staff have decided to contribute a day’s salary towards the flood relief fund. All councillors and officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike have decided to do the same.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has set up a KPCC Flood Relief Committee headed by K.C. Ramamurthy, MP. The BJP has sent a truckload of medicines, ready-to-eat food, blankets, rice, clothes, among other things, to Kodagu. The party’s State general secretary Shobha Karandlaje will hand over the relief material to the district administration.

Minister for Water Resources D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday appealed to industrialists, proprietors of garment factories, and owners of pharmaceutical shops to contribute generously to help the flood-hit victims in Karnataka and Kerala.