Bhujbas Porter Shelter Project
Garwal Himalayas, Uttaranchal, India
16/9/2007 The new Bhujbas Porter Shelter is now open!
Located at the gateway of the famous Gangotri Glacier complex, Bhujbas is the perfect place for a Porter Shelter. Every year, apart from hundreds of trekking and mountaineering teams going in to the Gangotri glacier complex; thousands of pilgrims pass by Bhujbas on their way to the Gomukh (the snout of Gangotri glacier, the source of the holy river Ganga).
Why a porter shelter?
Inspired by the Machermo and Gorakshep projects of the International Porter Protection Group, Community Action Nepal and Community Action Treks, we dare to dream.
After a carrying up a mountain of load from Gangotri, or after a tricky day on the moraines of Gangotri glacier, we want to offer warm shelter to our porter friends of Garwal. In the Bhujbas Project, they will have a mattress to crash and a blanket to keep them warm. Yes, it’s going to be very basic. Basic, but clean and hygienic with first aid facilities. In Bhujbas they do not even get these basic requirements. It’s been like this since the early exploration days. And its time to do something about it! And the time is NOW! And most importantly, for the porter friends it’s going to be FREE accommodation!
About the project
The idea is to provide free shelter and first aid to our porter friends. We want to keep it simple and basic. This will help us keep the costs down and also be environ friendly. By using tents, the shelter will be portable, cheaper and will be in use for 5 months in a year. May, June, September, October and till mid November the shelter will be operational.
Get Set Go…
To get the ball rolling we need the following...
2 mess tents. 2 small tents. About 50 foam mattresses. 50 blankets. A well stocked first aid kit and some emergency medicines. 1 dedicated staff to run the show and at the same time co ordinate with the local authorities. Kitchen utensils and supply of food & fuel to keep our staff alive. :-)
Budget Outline
We are looking at an estimated budget of US$ 3500 for a running cost of 5 months; which is 1 operational year.
Deadline…
Well, keeping the traditions of the typical Indian red-tape in to consideration, we are not rushing things. :-) We will visit Dehradoon ( the capital of Uttaranchal state) and Uttarkashi in late May and early June, 2007( prior to our Expedition to Mount Shivling). We hope to finalize the talks (and the paperwork) regarding this project with the authorities and also the local trekking companies and porter agencies by this time. We hope to kick off the Bhujbas Porter Shelter by September, 2007.
The cost break up for 1 operational year:
Mess Tents @ INR 20000/x2= INR 40000/
Blankets @ INR 300/x 50= INR 15000/
Mats @ INR 250/x 50= INR 12500/
Small tents @ INR 4000/x 2= INR 8000/
Kitchen utensils + stove= INR 3000/
Food & fuel for 1 resident staff + 1 volunteer
@ 2000 x 5 months x 2 = INR 20000/
Salary of 1 resident staff
@ 4000 x 5 months = INR 20000/
Administrative costs = INR 5000/
Staff & gear transfer & costs involved
To set up shelter = INR 10000/
Total = INR 133500/
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