Amid raging bushfires in Australia, Indian couple works overtime to help victims
Melbourne: Extending a helping hand to the hapless victims of the raging bushfires in Australia, an Indian couple is providing fresh meals from their restaurant to those affected by the disaster.
Kamaljeet Kaur, along with her husband Kanwaljeet Singh, has been preparing simple meals of curry and rice for the victims in their Desi Grill restaurant in Bairnsdale in the state Victoria for the last five days as the bushfire crisis in the country worsened.
"We are providing proper meals of curry and rice. We distribute the food at the relief centres as well as give to those who come to our restaurant asking for it," Kaur told PTI over phone on Saturday.
"The situation is really bad. Initially there was less fire in the area but later it expanded. People have lost their lives, houses, farms and animals," she said.
Victoria is one of the worst affected areas in the disaster. Other areas are New South Wales and South Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday called up 3,000 military reserve troops to combat the raging bushfire crisis which has so far claimed the lives of 23 people with high temperatures and strong winds threatening to worsen the conditions across the country.
More than 14,000 hectares have been destroyed in South Australia's Flinders Chase National Park, Kangaroo Island.
Expressing concern over the situation, Kaur said that people had left their houses and were either shifting to relief camps or moving to Melbourne.
The couple, who migrated to Australia over a decade ago, were earlier providing raw materials to Sikh volunteers in the area to prepare food for the affected people but later started preparing it in their restaurant.
Even the shortage in staff in their restaurant has not deterred the Melbourne-based couple from helping those in need as they have roped in friends and family to prepare food for the victims as well as manage business hours of the restaurant.
"Most of the staff members have left due to the disaster. My family and friends are working in the restaurant," said Kaur, who along with her husband, started the restaurant in Bairnsdale in 2016.
She said that the loss in the area felt like "personal as we have lived here for seven years before moving to Melbourne."
"This place is like a small countryside area. We know almost everyone here and are emotionally connected with the people. So the loss is more personal," she said.
"More than anything else, people have lost their memories as mostly old couples stay in the area and they had their farms and animals destroyed in the fire," she said.
Evacuation orders were in place across Victoria's Alpine region and the navy was ferrying evacuees to relief centres.
"We have seen wind gusts up to 67 km/h already today, up at Mount Hotham. It's predicted when the change comes through we will see gusts up to 80 km/h. We have a long way to go today. Today is a very challenging day for all of us," Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said.
Temperatures are expected to hit 40 degrees at Gippsland and 45 degrees in northeast. Fears of dry lightning storms are expected to cause more fires. About 50 fires continue to burn across Victoria with more than 820,000 hectares destroyed - mostly in the East Gippsland and northeast of the State.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday declared the state of emergency, advising residents to leave immediately.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
