Cyclone Yaas: Government needs to ensure permanent solution, says Sudipta Chakraborty

Several organizations such as the Sudipta Chakraborty Acting Academy, Rostrum theatre platform, Sanjhbati Boutique, Nagaraik Samanyay Mancha and the Tollygunj-1 Red Volunteer Group have arranged for relief material and set up health camps in the coastal areas of Bengal affected by Cyclone Yaas.

The cyclone landed on the coasts of Bengal and Odisha in the last week of May, leaving thousands homeless. Actress Sudipta Chakraborty and others have been providing essentials to relief camps in Pakhiralay, Gosaba and other places. Also, they arranged for a health camp in Sonar Gaon.

According to the actress, the damage is severe and even though those affected have been receiving truckloads of relief material, it is not enough. “We have received enough contributions from the people. We have been able to arrange for items worth Rs2 lakh and it would not have been possible for my acting academy to raise that amount on its own,” said the actress. She is also posting updates on social media to keep contributors updated about the situation on the ground.

The team has also taken the help of locals to identify the needs of each family. “We came up with a coupon system and distributed items accordingly. Some people need tarpaulin sheets as they have no roof over their heads, others need food. Women are suffering from skin diseases and other issues. We arranged for sanitary napkins as well,” said the actress.

The health camp in Sonar Gaon was set up with the help of medical practitioner Eeshaan and trained nurse Malini. “They have carried out health check-ups for 100-120 people there but have also expressed the need for more such camps,” she said.

The team is planning to set up another health camp in these areas in the coming weeks.

“Since I started working on this, I have been getting more leads about for different kinds of requirements. For example, I got to know that many people are stranded in a school in Sagardwip and they don’t have proper access to food. Hopefully, we will be able to make some arrangements for them,” Chakraborty said.

The team is planning to visit Gosaba again after the seawater recedes. A few days ago, it brought the people stranded there tarpaulin sheets, rice, biscuits, puffed rice, chickpea flour, sanitary napkins, medicines and candles. After the water recedes, they will be bringing them clothes, bed sheets, pillows, books and copies.

However, the actress mentioned that these measures are not a permanent solution. “The government has to take this seriously. Relief cannot be a solution, it can only be an interim arrangement," she said.

While visiting the areas the team has strictly adhered to COVID-19 protocol to ensure that they do not spread the virus from the city. “We have always used double masks and have not travelled more than two people together,” she said.

“We have also distributed masks and sanitisers in these areas. Sadly, it is difficult to maintain social distancing while distributing relief, as naturally, the affected people are quite desperate now. However, we have repeatedly told them to regularly clean their masks, put them in the sun and then use them,” said the actress.