Adani Australia today donated 200,000 dollars to assist the victims of Cyclone Debbie that wreaked havoc in Queensland state.
Jeyakumar Janakaraj, Adani Australia country-head and CEO, presented a cheque for 200,000 dollars to the Salvation Army, which is among the many NGOs providing front line assistance to help people recover from the disaster.
Jayakumar said the donation was particularly aimed at helping people living in the Whitsunday areas such as Bowen, Proserpine, Airlie Beach and Mackay.
“These people include members of the Adani ‘family’ who work at our Abbot Point bulk coal loading facility,” Janakaraj said.
“It also includes people who we will soon employ as we start work later this year on our Carmichael mine and rail projects,” Janakaraj said, adding that the company staff from Abbot Point was also deployed to work with the local area disaster teams to help restore public areas.
“Adani Australia staff are proud members of these communities and we are happy to provide this assistance,” Janakaraj said.
Adani Enterprises has maintained that the work on the $21-billion controversial coal mine project in Queensland would begin this year that will create 10,000 jobs for the state.
The project involves dredging 1.1 million cubic metres of spoil near the iconic Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which will then be disposed off on land.
At least two people have died and several missing after torrential rain inundated large areas of Queensland and New South Wales states, flooding homes and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
Category four Cyclone Debbie smashed into Queensland last week between Bowen and Airlie, ripping up trees and causing widespread damage that is still being assessed.