The Kerala Bhavan in Navi Mumbai has opened its doors to collect relief material for the people affected by cyclone Fani after the Odisha Bhavan refused to provide space on its premises.

A group of 61 Odia residents of Navi Mumbai, Mumbai and Thane had come together and formed the Orissa Cyclone Relief Committee 2019. They approached the Odisha Bhavan seeking space to collect relief material, but were informed through an email that space could not be provided for the purpose.

An official posted at Odisha Bhavan, on condition of anonymity, said, “We were approached by two men from the Odia community. They requested us to grant them permission to turn the Odisha Bhavan into a centre for collecting relief material. However, we are government employees and cannot grant such permissions without receiving clear instructions from our State government. Also, the Orissa Cyclone Relief Committee is not a registered NGO. We have been carrying out our own efforts to provide relief to the cyclone-affected and have been appealing to everyone to donate to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.”

Rajeev Gopinath, manager of Kerala Bhavan, said, “The Malayali community has decided to help the people of Odisha. The Kerala Bhavan has set apart a portion of its porch to collect relief material. As our officials do not have the authority to accept funds, the members of the Odia community will be present at Kerala Bhavan to accept the relief material.”

Gadadhar Behera, a member of the Orissa Cyclone Relief Committee 2019, said that they have so far distributed 12,000 litres of water bottles, biscuits, candles and other food items to the cyclone-hit in Puri district.

Mr. Behera said, “We have been getting a good response and have received a lot of calls offering help from the Malayali community. The people in Odisha are in need of help. There is no electricity and communication lines are down.”

The relief collection centre at the Kerala Bhavan will be open every afternoon till this Sunday.