POONCH: Poonch has a long and chequered history of civil military co-operation. It is pertinent to mention here that this is the same ALG which was constructed in seven days by the Indian Army and the civilians of Poonch to facilitate the link up of Poonch with the rest of the nation, in 1947-48. The wheel came full circle when another joint effort by the army and the civilians took off on 18th Sep 2014, when a relief distribution camp was organised at the ALG, Poonch by the Indian Army in conjunction with the district administration. The major contributors were the ex students of Bombay College of Journalism and Pritam Spiritual Trust, Poonch.
Forty flood affected families were given a package which consisted of utensils, blankets and ration. On this occasion the Deputy Commissioner Poonch, M.H Malik and SSP Poonch, Shamsheer Hussain Chowdhary, Administrative Commandant, Station Headquarters Poonch and the Commanding Officer of the local unit were present. While interacting with the affected families the DC lauded the efforts of the Indian Army. The DC also congratulated Priyanka Narayan, who is married to an army officer posted here, and was the pivot for the entire relief operation, for the great support to the needy.
J and K was badly hit by floods in the first week of September, destroying thousands of lives and livestock. Poonch District which is also on the Line of Control was affected badly too. Many houses and people got washed away and ever since it has been difficult for these people to grapple with life. At times, when the sole bread winner of the family had also perished, it was difficult for the lady to start life from scratch. Such ladies have also been identified and included.
Priyanka Narayan, an alumunus of the the Bombay College of Journalism, spread the word about the devastation in Poonch District. This resulted in a group of ex students from her college coming forward for the relief. A kit of basic utensils that comprised of two cooking vessels, a Tawa, set of six plates and six glasses and a cooking spoon each was prepared. At the same time Prof Jagbir Singh of The Pritam Spiritual Trust, provided support by giving blankets for the noble cause. The local army unit provided the rations and all kind of logistic support to propel the relief drive.
However, this would not have been possible without the untiring efforts of Pradeep Khanna, a Senior Radio Journalist, with the All India Radio, Poonch. This gentleman was instrumental in the identification of the right people, who were taking shelter in the Gujjar Hostel, Poonch. A series of visits and interaction with the affected populace clubbed with the immense support of the district administration and the Indian Army has helped bring back smiles to many families. However it is learnt that this was the first phase of the relief drive and it is going to continue till such time that most of the families are spotted and provided some relief.
