P.S.Jayaraman Managin Director, Chemplast Sanmar
The recent tsunami disaster has affected the lives of thousands of people in the coastal regions of south India. The communities neighbouring the facilities of Chemplast Sanmar in Karaikal and Vedaranyam were no exception. We all know how help has come pouring forth from all parts of the world. The Sanmar Group, on both the personal and official levels, has also made an earnest effort to lend a helping hand to the suffering families and the government in bringing succour to those families. P S Jayaraman, Managing Director, Chemplast Sanmar, recounts his first hand experience of the impact of the tragedy as well as the measures the Sanmar Group has initiated to provide relief to the tsunami victims.
The tsunami tidal waves struck the coastal areas on 26 December 2004, causing huge damage to human lives and properties. While the company’s plant at Karaikal was not affected, the preproject commissioning activities of the contractors setting up the Marine Terminal Facility on the coast at Karaikal have been affected. The salt fields at Vedaranyam suffered some damage. The group has involved itself directly in providing extensive relief measures to the tsunami victims besides making substantial cash donations.
The Sanmar Group has made an aggregate cash contribution of Rs. 50 lakh to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund, Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund and Pondicherry Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. This included a voluntary contribution of Rs.8 lakh received from the employees of the Group. In addition, the factory administration at Karaikal and Vedaranyam involved themselves fully with the relief operations, assisting the local authorities.
Working in close coordination with the official machinery, both at Vedaranyam and Karaikal, the company arranged clothes, food, water packets and milk powder for nearly 4000 people living in the nearby affected areas. JCBs, tractors and ambulances were provided to the local government authorities to carry out the relief work and transport relief materials. The Group distributed rations and clothing materials to the families of the villagers and the fishing hamlet of Vadakku Vanjore situated near our Karaikal project site.
A medical team was rushed from the Chemplast Mettur plant, with paramedical staff and ambulance. First aid was provided to the people of the affected villages at Karaikal and Vedaranyam. The team also carried out immunisation of staff and volunteers involved in the relief work. Further plans for distribution of fishing nets, reconstruction of damaged houses and common facilities in the affected villages at Karaikal and Vedaranyam are being worked out in close coordination with the local authorities.
The Group is also working with the district administration and panchayat officials in Cuddalore to ascertain the exact needs of some of the affected villagers in the district. Appropriate relief measures will be undertaken shortly. The Group expects to incur a total expenditure of around Rs.100 lakh (10 million) including cash already donated, towards these relief measures at Karaikal, Vedaranyam and Cuddalore.
M Thomas Maria Chandran, R Padmanabhan and S Venkatesan of Chemplast Karaikal, and V Ramesh, Executive Director, Chemplast Sanmar, giving away materials to tsunami victims, and interacting with them.