AIBSNLPWA

A VERY SPECIAL APPEAL

Dear Comrades,

People in different parts of our country face the nature’s fury. There were devastating natural disasters in the past.They were confined to a state or some areas. This time it is unusual and unprecedented; all pervading and widespread. Heavy rain made many a rivers like Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Godavari, Narmada, Krishna, Tungabhadra, Tapti, Pampa etc ferocious. It caused floods, landslides and total destruction in Assam, Andhra, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, MP, Maharastra, Orissa, Tamilnau, Telangana etc. It has affected cities and villages alike. Lakhs of people have to flee their places leaving behind everything except carrying their lives. Everything they earned through hard labour during the last 30 or 40 years is lost in 30 or 40 minutes/seconds. Many of them can never recapture the loss. Some settlements have disappeared totally in landslides. Dead bodies are still under the mud even after 10 days. Some are beyond recovery.

BSNL also lost a lot. The landlines and towers erected through 30/40 years are destroyed instantly. Private companies disappeared from the scene, as usual. Again, our men are in the field reconstructing the network. We witness heroes of National Disaster Management teams and large number of youngsters engaged in rescue operations. Caste, creed, region, religion – nothing stand in their way of service. It is India.

It is not the time to probe into the cause and accuse anybody. It is time to help the victims. AIBSNLPWA organized relief in the past. But, this time, we cannot assess the level of calamity or casualty or the loss. We cannot extend the help to any particular State as people of many states are affected. We cannot hold meetings of CWC or Secretariat immediately. Therefore, in consultation over phone with our CHQ President and some other CHQ office-bearers, it is decided to collect Relief Fund immediately from all Circle and District Units and make over the amount to the Prime Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (PMDRF).

It has to be done immediately, on war-footing urgency. I, on behalf of our CHQ, call upon all our Circle/District Secretaries to transfer considerable amounts from their funds to CHQ account for the purpose. It should be done immediately, before 30th September 2019, latest. CHQ shall make over the entire fund so received to the PMDRF in a gathering.

Note: After transferring the amount please inform CHQ Treasurer through phone/whatsapp/email.

With greetings,

P GANGADHARA RAO, General Secretary