The Coimbatore District Home Guards airlifted 1.5 tons of relief material via an Indian Air Force aircraft AN 32, as part of the relief works for the disaster-stricken Chennai.

For the first time in the history of the Tamil Nadu Home Guards that the Coimbatore District Home Guards have, in association with Sumangali Jewellers, collected nearly 1.5 tons of material, including 15,000 chapattis, biscuits, bread, jam, torch lights, sanitary napkins, plastic mats, medicines, besides other essentials, and airlifted them to Chennai. The effort were co-ordinated by Managing Trustee of Aram Foundation, Latha Sundaram and ex-serviceman Ramesh Kumar.

Earlier, the Coimbatore District Home Guards, along with the Indian postal department, collected three truckloads of relief materials and handed them over to the ADGP Home Guards, AK Vishwanathan, and IG K Periaiah.

The relief materials were flagged off by Post Master General of India Post (western region), Manju Pillai, in the presence of Joint Commissioner Labour Department P. Marimuthu, and Deputy Commissioner of Labour Department, C. Thangavelu. “Coimbatore’s willingness to extend a helping hand to Chennai and its adjoining areas has been overwhelming. India Post has also joined hands with them to help those in distress,” Manju Pillai said.

The Coimbatore District Home Guards escorted the trucks that were headed to Chennai, Cuddalore and Thiruvallur.

H.G. Damodaran, who had accompanied one of the trucks to Cuddalore, said that it was heart-wrenching to see people pleading for buns and bread.

“While some were pleading for second helping, others were begging for more than one bun for their wives and children at home. The strongest of hearts could melt at the sight”, he said.

The Chennai team of Home Guards, under the supervision of the ADGP and IG, fed more than 2 lakh people in the past three and half days.