Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: Anyone collecting relief aid for the flood-ravaged Indian state of Kerala without a permit is breaking the law in Oman.
That was the warning from the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD), as dozens of appeals were launched here to help victims of the flooding, which has left almost 450 dead.
The ministry warned that only one licence had been granted in Oman to collect aid in the wake of the disaster, which has been given to the Indian Social Club.
Speaking to the Times of Oman, an official at the Ministry of Social Development said all aid that was being sent to India needed to be routed through the Indian Social Club and its various wings. “No other individuals or associations have been granted a permit for collecting donations,” he said.
“To grant a permit to collect donations, the institution must submit a request to the Ministry to the Departments of associations and community clubs, including information about the institution and the purpose of collecting donations. The period of collection and authorisation includes the start and completion dates of the collection of donations, whether financial or material, such as food, clothing, and others,” added MoSD officials.
The ministry has added that the Indian Social Club was the only organisation that had been granted permission to collect relief supplies, and that while others may have good intentions, they were not allowed to do so.
According to the new Oman Penal Code, asking for donations or collecting money without a government permit can land you in jail for up to three years.
The code states: "A penalty of not less than three months, not exceeding three years, a fine of not less than OMR200 and not more than OMR600, or either of these two penalties shall be imposed on anyone who makes a donation invitation or collects money from the public by any means without authorisation from the competent authority, and the court can confiscate the funds obtained from the crime.”
Those living in Oman who collect money illegally and send it abroad can expect even tougher fines, under the code.
As expected, Oman’s traditions of charity and helping those in need have come to the fore in the wake of these devastating floods, which has seen nearly 450 people dead and a further 19 missing. Property damage estimates have been placed at US$ 3 billion (INR195 billion, OMR1.15 billion).
Overnight, people in Kerala have lost what has taken decades to build. People have been rendered homeless and have lost all their property. According to estimates from the Chief Minister’s Office in Kerala, some 462,456 people are currently scattered across 1435 camps in the state. The Indian Army is on the ground in Kerala, and is currently overseeing relief efforts along with other regional and national disaster management teams.
Community and cultural organisations such as the Indian Social Club come directly under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Development; PM Jabir, the Community Welfare Secretary of the ISC, said they had already received many offers from people in Oman to help those in Kerala.
“We have approached the Ministry of Social Development for their consent to collect the funds,” he told Times of Oman. “Once we have their consent, we will collect funds. We have done the groundwork and are just waiting for their consent. I have been approaching people personally to ask them to donate to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, and we have directly sent money to that fund.”
Jabir, who also works as the Director of the Kerala Pravasi Welfare Fund, a government organisation that receives donations from overseas Keralites to fund relief efforts back home, added: “There are logistical problems in unloading the goods donated from overseas migrant associations and organisations outside India, but people are sending them in spite of that. We are not stopping people from donating goods, but we are discouraging them from doing so. Right now, only official organisations in Oman can collect relief.”
T Bhaskaran, the Convener of the Malayalam Wing of the Indian Social Club, added that the club had begun coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Oman, as well as Air India, the country’s national carrier, which would allow for free transportation of relief goods weighing up to 100 kg per flight.
“Kerala is mostly affected from the south to the mid-point of the state,” he explained. “We have taken it up with the Embassy of India and Air India, and they agreed that per flight, 100 kilos of relief material would be taken for free, so that was a good initiative from them. We want all our efforts to be under the umbrella of the Indian Social Club. There was a meeting convened by our Chairman, Dr Sathish Nambiar, and all the conveners and him made it clear that no collection was to be made until we get formal approval from the Ministry of Social Development."
“The whole effort needs to be channeled through the ISC, and that is what the ministry wants as well,” he added. “Materials are out of the question now, because Kerala already has so many materials piled up across airports and seaports, and we have problems in clearing the items and distributing them to various camps. What is required now is money. ISC is leading the role in collecting funds and it is yet to be decided how best to use this, to either send it to the Government of Kerala, or to locate and develop certain areas. That is being discussed at the moment.”
The money will be collected together and sent as a whole, instead of being donated in piecemeal form. Interested persons can approach any member of any wing of the Indian Social Club, or go to their offices on the grounds of the Indian School Muscat to make a donation. The ISC maintains an account for such donations, and all donors will receive a receipt from the club.
“People had previously approached us to donate money, but we didn’t have approval at the time,” added Bhaskaran. “We have actually sent 10 metric tonnes of food items and clothes to Kerala in three different places: Cochin, Trivandrum and Calicut. We are collecting from our own members and those benevolent enough who want to support us through funding.”
Relief efforts are also underway in other cities in Oman. Local ISC chapters in Sohar and Salalah are also coordinating efforts.
Dr Rajiv Tandon, Chairman of the Sohar chapter, said: “We had previously sent three tonnes of goods and food to those who needed it in Kerala. We sent them fresh clothes, milk powder and long-life milk so they could be of use to them. One of our members also donated 24 bed sheets. We have asked people to also donate directly to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, so that the money is used for the right purpose.”
Manpreet Singh, Chairman of ISC Salalah, added: “There are many people here in Salalah who want to donate goods and money to people in Kerala, and with the help of many organisations on the ground here, we are facilitating these efforts to help people in India.”
In the wake of the MOSD’s ruling, Jacinta Machado, a social worker in Oman who often collects relief supplies for such disasters, said it would be easier to coordinate her efforts.
“I am working with such bodies to help collect clothes for people in Kerala, because unfortunately there are so many people who have nothing left,” she said. “Many people here have bought readymade clothes and given them to me so that I could organise sending them to Kerala, but I didn’t know the channel through which I needed to send them; so, they have all been accumulated in my house and I have asked people to stop giving, because there is no point collecting them if there is no one to whom I can send them."
“Now that the ruling has come in, I can give these to the Indian Social Club and ask people to give it directly to them,” added Machado. “There are many people who have approached me but I had to turn them away, and I also had people telling me that if I needed more supplies, they would contribute.”
The code states: “A penalty of not less than three months, not exceeding three years, a fine of not less than OMR200 and not more than OMR600, or either of these two penalties shall be imposed on anyone who makes a donation invitation or collects money from the public by any means without authorisation from the competent authority, and the court can confiscate the funds obtained from the crime.”
Those living in Oman who collect money illegally and send it abroad can expect even tougher fines, under the code.
As expected, Oman’s traditions of charity and helping those in need have come to the fore in the wake of these devastating floods, which has seen nearly 450 people dead and a further 19 missing. Property damage estimates have been placed at US$ 3 billion (INR195 billion, OMR1.15 billion).
Overnight, people in Kerala have lost what has taken decades to build. People have been rendered homeless and have lost all their property. According to estimates from the Chief Minister’s Office in Kerala, some 462,456 people are currently scattered across 1435 camps in the state. The Indian Army is on the ground in Kerala, and is currently overseeing relief efforts along with other regional and national disaster management teams.
Community and cultural organisations such as the Indian Social Club come directly under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Development; PM Jabir, the Community Welfare Secretary of the ISC, said they had already received many offers from people in Oman to help those in Kerala.
“We have approached the Ministry of Social Development for their consent to collect the funds,” he told Times of Oman. “Once we have their consent, we will collect funds. We have done the groundwork and are just waiting for their consent. I have been approaching people personally to ask them to donate to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, and we have directly sent money to that fund.”
Jabir, who also works as the Director of the Kerala Pravasi Welfare Fund, a government organisation that receives donations from overseas Keralites to fund relief efforts back home, added: “There are logistical problems in unloading the goods donated from overseas migrant associations and organisations outside India, but people are sending them in spite of that. We are not stopping people from donating goods, but we are discouraging them from doing so. Right now, only official organisations in Oman can collect relief.”
T Bhaskaran, the Convener of the Malayalam Wing of the Indian Social Club, added that the club had begun coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Oman, as well as Air India, the country’s national carrier, which would allow for free transportation of relief goods weighing up to 100 kg per flight.
“Kerala is mostly affected from the south to the mid-point of the state,” he explained. “We have taken it up with the Embassy of India and Air India, and they agreed that per flight, 100 kgs of relief material would be taken for free, so that was a good initiative from them. We want all our efforts to be under the umbrella of the Indian Social Club. There was a meeting convened by our Chairman, Dr Sathish Nambiar, and all the conveners and him made it clear that no collection was to be made until we get formal approval from the Ministry of Social Development.”
“The whole effort needs to be channeled through the ISC, and that is what the ministry wants as well,” he added. “Materials are out of the question now, because Kerala already has so many materials piled up across airports and seaports, and we have problems in clearing the items and distributing them to various camps. What is required now is money. ISC is leading the role in collecting funds and it is yet to be decided how best to use this, to either send it to the Government of Kerala, or to locate and develop certain areas. That is being discussed at the moment.”
The money will be collected together and sent as a whole, instead of being donated in piecemeal form. Interested persons can approach any member of any wing of the Indian Social Club, or go to their offices on the grounds of the Indian School Muscat to make a donation. The ISC maintains an account for such donations, and all donors will receive a receipt from the club.
“People had previously approached us to donate money, but we didn’t have approval at the time,” added Bhaskaran. “We have actually sent 10 metric tonnes of food items and clothes to Kerala in three different places: Cochin, Trivandrum and Calicut. We are collecting from our own members and those benevolent enough who want to support us through funding.”
Relief efforts are also underway in other cities in Oman. Local ISC chapters in Sohar and Salalah are also coordinating efforts.
Dr Rajiv Tandon, Chairman of the Sohar chapter, said: “We had previously sent three tonnes of goods and food to those who needed it in Kerala. We sent them fresh clothes, milk powder and long-life milk so they could be of use to them. One of our members also donated 24 bed sheets. We have asked people to also donate directly to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, so that the money is used for the right purpose.”
Manpreet Singh, Chairman of ISC Salalah, added: “There are many people here in Salalah who want to donate goods and money to people in Kerala, and with the help of many organisations on the ground here, we are facilitating these efforts to help people in India.”
In the wake of the MOSD’s ruling, Jacinta Machado, a social worker in Oman who often collects relief supplies for such disasters, said it would be easier to coordinate her efforts.
“I am working with such bodies to help collect clothes for people in Kerala, because unfortunately there are so many people who have nothing left,” she said. “Many people here have bought readymade clothes and given them to me so that I could organise sending them to Kerala, but I didn’t know the channel through which I needed to send them; so, they have all been accumulated in my house and I have asked people to stop giving, because there is no point collecting them if there is no one to whom I can send them.”
“Now that the ruling has come in, I can give these to the Indian Social Club and ask people to give it directly to them,” added Machado. “There are many people who have approached me but I had to turn them away, and I also had people telling me that if I needed more supplies, they would contribute.”
