Doomdooma: Students and teachers from Tinsukia have extended a helping hand to 325 flood-hit families in Nazira co-district of Sivasagar, one of the worst-affected areas of Upper Assam.
“Because that tea garden was badly affected and one girl lost her life, we decided to extend relief not only to the garden people but also to those living in the nearby basti areas,” said Abhijit Khataniar, a teacher and member of the relief team.
The initiative was undertaken by St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Doomdooma; St. Stephen’s Higher Secondary School, Tinsukia; St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Naharkatia; and BVFC Model School, Namrup.
Relief materials reportedly worth more than Rs 4 lakh were collected with the support of students, parents and teachers from the four institutions.
A 25-member team led by Sister Rose Mary Angamilu, Education Counsellor of the Sacred Heart Province, visited Bamunbari Tea Estate, Tengahola and Gohainbari. Each family received essential household items, including mats, bedsheets, pillow covers, mosquito nets, buckets, mugs, water jars, steel plates, glasses, soaps and dry food items.
“We not only gave relief to the garden people, but also to those living in nearby basti areas, including Ahom, Mising, Sonowal Kachari, Nepali and Bihari community people. This is the place where the dyke of the Dikhow river was breached. Moreover, ADC Sivasagar Rananmoy Bharadwaj, who was once SDC here, gave us the area for the relief,” Khataniar added.
Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat and Charaideo were among the worst-affected districts of Upper Assam during last month’s devastating floods, which claimed more than 100 lives across Assam.