Tsunami disaster: relief and rehabilitation measures from the Tata Group
December 29, 2004

A large number of messages have been pouring in from employees enquiring about the health and welfare of Tata employees in Tsunami hit areas, as also about relief measures being considered by the Group not only for the families of our employees but to society devastated by this natural disaster.

Members of the Tata family will be relieved to learn that there have been no reported fatalities of Tata personnel, or guests in Tata hotel properties, either in India, or in other countries hit by the Tsunami. Significant damage did take place at the Taj property in Maldives, but hotel guests, all of whom were safe, were immediately air lifted to safe locations.

Deeply concerned by the enormity of the calamity, the Group Chairman cut short an outstation visit to return to Mumbai and chair a meeting of CEOs and senior managers to discuss relief measures that could be provided by the Group. At this meeting, a steering committee headed by R K Krishna Kumar and K A Chaukar was formed. The other members of the committee are MDs / CEOs and senior managers from the major companies — particularly those operating in the Tsunami affected areas in India and Sri Lanka, as well as representatives from TCCI. Professor Parshuraman, director of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, was a special invitee to this committee.

In keeping with the Group’s tradition of direct involvement with relief operations, rather than donations to relief funds set up by the government or other agencies, the steering committee requested CEOs of major companies operating in the area to send out teams to assess the best means of providing both short term relief and long term rehabilitation to affected communities keeping in view what is already being done by the government and NGOs. Krishna Kumar pointed out that in all previous natural calamities of this type, the Tata Group had always sought to embrace projects that made a difference to the lives of people affected by the calamity. A number of possible relief and rehabilitation projects included housing, replacement of lost means of livelihood, especially of fisherfolk and trauma care were discussed. In view of the possibility of secondary epidemics breaking out as a result of disruption of sewage, water supply and other civic amenities, Krishna Kumar requested professor Parshuraman of TISS to assess readiness for epidemic control facilities in the affected states. The committee decided to reconvene within a week to review the recommendations both for short term relief and long term rehabilitation, and finalise specific modes of delivery for review by the Group Chairman.

The relief operation will be, as usual, done under the aegis of the Tata Relief Committee which will be operated by the Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust. Sarosh Batliwala, of the Dorabjee Tata Trust will be the key contact person. Companies and employees are encouraged to contribute generously to the Group’s relief initiative. Several companies reported that their employees had already decided to donate a day’s salary. The companies concerned were asked to not just match this but to donate substantially higher amounts. The funds so collected will be channelised for deployment by the Tata Relief Committee. A formal communiqué will be sent to company heads shortly.