India

A Pune Couple Sold Their Jewellery For An Oxygen Generation Plant For Soldiers In Siachen

We all know about the grueling hardships army men and women have to face in order to save their nation and the people in it from all sorts of possible attacks and enemies. They have to fight, practice and learn a lot to reach the grounds they can never not think about, even when they’re away from it. Yet, somehow, they’re also the most forgotten people in the country. Very few are thinking about them and then the number lessens even more who do something for them.

Two of those very few are this Pune couple who recently sold their jewellery to help the men of our nation.

Sumeedha and Yogesh Chithade have set an example by selling their jewellery to raise Rs 1.25 lakh for the oxygen-generation plant, which would cost around Rs 1.10 crore. This plant will construct at 13,000 feet and is going to ease the need for oxygen for the men serving their nation at 6,700m altitude. The plant is to be constructed on Siachen glacier where almost 9,000 soldiers are situated.

Presently, the oxygen cylinders are taken from Chandigarh to the Siachen base camp which is situated at an altitude of 30,000 ft. Then, people carry these 200 litre heavy cylinders on their back and transport them to the main base which is 22,000 ft above from the sea level. All so that the men can breathe with a little relief. This oxygen generation plant would not only cut back on the cost of carrying cylinders but also on time.

This Pune couple has been working towards the soldiers’ welfare since 1999 and they have even formed a charitable trust for the purpose. Their son is serving as an army major currently, while Yogesh Chithade himself served in the Indian Air Force.

“I have been working for army welfare since 1999. When I was at the Siachen base camp, I realised the climate there is extremely harsh. Even in summers, the temperature is at -35 degrees [Celsius] and it drops to -55 in winters. Our soldiers, who plod through 35-40 feet deep snow at the risk of developing snow blindness and frostbite, are lonely and cut off from their families and friends,” Sumeedha tells India Today.

The couple also stated that other families can also and should also contribute to this great cause for the brave men of our country, even with their Re 1.