Hyderabad: NGO to hold open market to help the flood-hit

Bandlaguda: Keeping in view the requirements of flood victims, voluntary groups engaged in extending flood relief are coming up with novel methods to get help for them. Besides trying to fulfil the basic requirements of food and groceries, some NGOs are also helping them get kitchen utensils and daily ware by holding open market after due screening process.

A city-based voluntary organisation, Access Foundation, has come up with a unique idea to set up an open market at City Palace, Bandlaguda, on November 5. They will display all the daily essential items such as utensils, grocery, blanket, plastic items, storage items and other daily use wares.

The organisers feel that the recent flood havoc in the city have made lives miserable. Also the flooding has caused people to lose valuables things, including kitchen utensils. As the flood-hit people are in need of basic household necessities, they are holding this market.

Maria Tabassum, treasure of Access Foundation, said "We have received several calls from the flood-hit people across the city regarding in-need essential items. We did a survey near Falaknuma area where 250 families' houses got damaged and people lost their essential items. So we have planned to organise an open market at Bangalguda, where these families would be given Rs 5,000 coupon from our NGO and with this money they can buy the necessary household items from the market. All these items are worth Rs 12.5 lakh.

The purpose of giving coupons to the poor is to make feel that they are not getting any alms, but feel empowered to purchase needy things on their own. A sense of entitlement, indeed. This open market is only for one day, that is on November 5. Also, we are going to distribute the necessary items to around 300 families at Osman Nagar."

Earlier, in October-end, Safa Baitul Maal (SBM) organised a similar market near Hafez Baba Nagar for three days. They handed over tokens worth Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 to the deserving families.