Patna, Aug. 16: The BJP in Bihar has opened a flood-relief centre in Patna and the district-level ones would become functional in the next two days.
The floods have devastated more than a dozen districts of north Bihar this year, affecting more than eight million people in the state.
Over 50 people have lost lives in the floods already.
"We appeal to people of all sections of society to come forward and extend a helping hand to the people who are facing a natural disaster because of the floods," BJP state unit president Nityanand Rai said, while inaugurating the flood relief centre at the party headquarters in Patna today.
The relief centre would function round-the-clock and BJP members have been deputed at the counter to maintain the details of the contributions coming from various quarters of society. This would be followed in the districts too.
"We have urged people to donate according to their convenience and the cash donation collected at the relief centre would be provided to the state government so that it could use it for running the relief work. As far as donated items are concerned, they would be delivered to the BJP workers for further distribution among the flood-affected people directly," said the BJP president.
He also released a phone number (0612-2504529) on which people can come up with their queries on donations.
As far as cash donations are concerned, the party would open a separate bank account in which people can deposit their contributions for the flood-hit.
In the evening, the BJP president called on chief minister Nitish Kumar and handed him a cheque of Rs 11 lakh for the chief minister's relief fund.
The party leaders will soon undertake a tour of the state to assess the situation and provide their inputs to the state as well as the central governments.
Rai would be touring Purnea, Araria and Katihar on August 17 and 18. On August 19, he would be touring Darbhanga and Madhubani and the next day he would visit Bagaha in West Champaran. In the last leg of his tour, Rai would be visiting Bettiah, Motihari and Muzaffarpur on August 21 and Sitamarhi and Sheohar on August 22.
During the media interaction of the BJP president health minister Mangal Pandey, tourism minister Pramod Kumar and revenue and land reforms minister Ram Narayan Mandal were also present.
Sharing details of the initiatives taken by the health department, Pandey said the state health society executive director has been directed to be in regular touch with the district magistrates of the affected districts and mobilise resources and manpower according to the need.
After getting requests from Sitamarhi and Purnea districts, the health department has sent two doctors to Sitamarhi and eight to Purnea to assist the local teams of doctors in providing medical aid to the marooned people.
The department has also set up a control room in Patna, which is being manned by eight doctors round-the-clock for giving medical advice to people in need. The department has issued a toll-free number (104) using which people can make calls. The department has set up a camp office, which is being run under the guidance of health director K.P. Singh to cater to the people of Kosi and Seemanchal.
The local health workers are helping the rescue teams in evacuating pregnant women whose expected date of delivery is within 15 days from the affected areas on priority basis.
Pandey said he had directed his department principal secretary to be in touch with his counterpart in the disaster management department to assist with all possible medical help to people as and when required.
