Flood relief: Internet all praise for Khalsa Aid volunteers, Seechewal

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, August 27

Along with tweets, several photos of Environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal and Ravi Singh, founder, Khalsa Aid, are being shared on social media sites with people across the globe lauding the efforts of both these sons of Punjab in reaching out to those in distress.

“Had there not been these two, the government would have failed,” read one of the comments on a post.

Time and again, volunteers of the Khalsa Aid have come forward to help out those in need. Be it Kerala floods when they reached Kochi last year or rescue of Kashmiri students back to their valley after the Pulwama attack, or the time when they gave out Eid gifts to over 500 Syrian refugees. Yet again, in the time of need, the volunteers of the UK-based non-profit organisation have come out to assist those affected by the floods in the state.

Similarly, Sant Seechewal and his volunteers have been contributing to the sewa by not only loading sand bags on their heads to plug the 175-m-long breach in Janian Chahal village but also providing langar, medicines and fodder to residents.

“We salute them as well all the NGOs who are working in the scorching heat to help those who have lost everything in the floods,” read another post on Facebook.

Talking to The Tribune, Tejinder Pal Singh of Khalsa Aid said around 300 volunteers associated with the organisation were deployed in flood-affected villages of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Sultanpur Lodhi and Ropar.

He said all volunteers were working religiously and visiting relief camps as well those stranded at rooftops to provide food, medicine and other items as per their requirement.

He said it was important for now that the bundhs were rebuilt to stop the flow of water entering villages. The team of volunteers was arranging sand bags and also assisting residents in the work.

Sant Seechewal, who has been on toes at Janian Chahal village since the day a breach occurred, said to force the bundh, his volunteers, Army men and people of other districts in a large number were working. “Players of Kabaddi and hockey are also contributing to the work,” he said, adding that till the time the situation in the village doesn’t normalise, he won’t leave the ground.

He said people had suffered great losses, their houses, land, everything have been washed away, and it will take a lot of time for them to regain what they have lost. He further appealed to people of the state to join hands together and contribute to the cause in any way as it’s the time that the state stands together and strong.