Jain Digest 2003 01 Vol 22 No 1

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 6

HEADQUARTERS NEWS....
TRIUMPH OF HUMAN SPIRIT OVER NATURE'S FURY VARDHMAN NAGAR AND JAINA
History will record February 2, 2003 as a golden day for people of Bhuj and JAINA, for on that day, JAINA fulfilled a pledge by delivering keys to 250 newly built homes to victims of the devastating earthquake on January 26,2001. The earthquake left 30,000 dead, 300,000 injured and 3 million people homeless. Devastation of Bhuj by the earthquake cannot be measured by the number of deaths or the number of collapsed buildings. The rubble from the destroyed homes, schools, hospitals,
movie theaters, government offices, all merged with each other in mountains that were aweful to look at. Thousands of dreams were piled on top of those bricks and mortar hills waiting to be carted away. Those who had lost everything were consoling others who had lost even more. People from all over the world rushed in will
ing to help but after a few weeks as they realized the enormity of the resettlement job, they left in exasperation. Donations of food, clothing and money poured into a town that had no infrastructure to absorb
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all the goodwill and gifts. Military personnel arrived to maintain law and order while eerie silence persisted. The government promised help in rebuilding and no one took solace from those pronouncements. Those promises are still unfulfilled. Hundreds of thousands of families are still living in tents or temporary one room aluminum houses.
JAINA started a fund to help the victims of the earthquake. Jains in the US and Canada gave generously without even know
Dilip V. Shah, Philadelphia
ing how the help will be sent. The first JAINA delegation reached Kutch within days of the disaster with relief supplies and surveyed the damage. For months, the authorities kept making statements as to how the government help would be delivered. A maze of guidelines and policy statements often confusing, other times contradictory, all had to be digested. To this date, no building
se permits have been isહયોગથીનિ અર્થકરો
sued within the city limits of Bhuj. The grand design by the town planners is still "work in progress". After many more visits by members of the World Community Service of JAINA, a real plan of action was created and Dr. Dhiraj Shah was appointed as the Project Manager. Fortunately, Jains of Bhuj and JAINA got together and decided to build a new town, 4 miles outside of Bhuj. It will have 1,125 homes and other amenities. JAINA did
not just raise the money but was involved from the beginning in acquiring the 70 acre land; planning, obtaining government blessings, permits and help in infrastructure (roads, water supply, electricity and sewer
lines). Criteria to help individual families had to be worked out keeping in mind losses of each family - loss of earning member - economic losses-physically handicapped- widows with childrenold aged couples who did not have family members to support and no source of income etc. Streamlining of grants from government and arranging for loans from banks. All these matters had to be resolved amicably and quickly so that actual construction could begin. Dhirajbhai made many trips, wrote letters and called upon all his resources for the project.
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