In an innovative endeavour to lend a helping hand to people affected by incessant rains, a group of techies and students in Kochi have come together to make and distribute fully charged power banks for free to provide temporary connectivity to people living in isolated areas in the aftermath of the floods.

Progressive Techies, a group of IT employees working in Kochi’s InfoPark, in collaboration with students of Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology, have so far dispatched about 300 power banks to worst rain-affected places in northern Kerala districts.

The heavy rains in the state have wreaked havoc, with massive landslides and floods rendering many regions isolated, with no electricity. The areas worst hit are the districts in northern Kerala like Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram.

The main objective of this initiative is to provide vital connectivity for locals engaged in rescue operations as well as those hit by floods. “Though this will only provide only temporary connectivity, it is important taking into consideration the extent of damage the rains have done to northern Kerala. There are many places that have been isolated completely and the power banks will both aid the people as well as the rescue workers for better connectivity,” said Anish Panthalani, who is a member of Progressive Techies.

Progressive Techies are also actively involved in collecting relief materials for the disaster-affected people. They have so far dispatched relief materials in four trucks and a car to regions like Nilambur in Malappuram district and Munnar in Idukki district.

“We first thought about making the power banks ourselves. However, we started collection centres in many places at Kakkanad and we had to check the arrangements and dispatch of the materials there. So that required all our attention and so we sought the help of students from Rajagiri college. About 30 students readily agreed to volunteer to make power banks. They first started making power banks using the items they had. Then we started to procure the materials,” said Anish.

From supermarkets to apartment buildings, the techies had started collection centres at multiple places in and around Kakkanad.

Kochi journalists start collection centre

A collection centre has also been opened by journalists at the Ernakulam Press Club on Monday. Essential items like bedsheets, clothes, sanitary napkins for women and groceries items are being collected here. For details, contact: Sijjo (8848638205), Anitha Mary Ipe (9446714559).