‘Sarbat Da Bhala’ on the forefront

Ravi Dhaliwal

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Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, May 14

A social organisation, Sarbat Da Bhala, which has offices across the nation, Nepal and the UAE, seems to be running a parallel government, with even ministers and bureaucrats approaching it for help.

Surinder Pal Singh Oberoi, managing trustee, Sarbat-Da-Bhala, is a busy man juggling his immense resources here, there and everywhere. His aim is to ensure nobody sleeps on an empty stomach. Deputy commissioners regularly call him up asking for ration kits. SSPs seek sanitisers and masks, while civil surgeons approach him for ventilators.

On Oberoi’s table, there is a paper on which Gall’s eponymous law has been highlighted with a red pen. It states: “A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be made to work. You have to start over, beginning with a simple working system.”

That is the reason why volunteers keep things simple. This, in turn, allows their organisation to work like a well-oiled machine. Its efficacy lies in the fact that every man is assigned a particular duty and he has to stick to it. Whatever the compulsions, there is no overlapping and hence no confusion.

In March when he was in Dubai, Oberoi saw the disease coming sooner than the so called experts. Subsequently, he rushed to India and took charge.

An amount of Rs20 crore has been earmarked till August 31 for distribution of ration, ventilators and allied medical equipment. “If the virus does not vanish by then, the same amount will be sanctioned for every three months. This will go on till the devil gets out of the way. Costs do not matter, human lives do,” he said.

The group, with its modus-operandi bordering on the professional, has the potential to put many MNCs to shame. It works with clock-work precision, 24 hours a day, and there is no space or time for lassitude of any form.

Before 9 am, lists get ready mentioning about work needs to be done and when, the names of volunteers who will be assigned the task of packing ration in cloth kits, people who have to ensure ventilators reach their respective destinations and district-level office-bearers who will be given the duty to make certain masks and sanitisers reach the offices of SSPs.

As many as 16,000 Personal Protective Kits (PPE) have already been distributed and more are on their way. A total of eight ventilators have been installed in medical colleges and hospitals across Punjab and 20 more are in the pipeline. “With the entire human race at risk, the least we can do is to ensure every gram of rice and every gram of flour reach their destination,” said a volunteer.

Yards away, sitting in his office, Oberoi receives another call. This time it is a SSP from Majha asking for more sanitisers. “You will get these before 10 am tomorrow,” Oberoi tells the SSP.