ILAM: In a show of unity for a common cause, locals of Ilam have collected Rs 3.3 million to establish a blood bank. People here, who have endured much pain due to lack of a blood bank, came up with the idea of collecting money to establish a place for storing blood in the under-construction 50-bed district hospital and two other health institutions. The amount has been gathered at the initiative of the Ilam branch of Nepal Red Cross Society by running donation drives and lottery programmes. Several organisations chipped in. Of the total, the District Development Committee gave Rs 1.2 million and some organisations gave Rs 1.732 million while Rs. 200,000 was collected through donation programmes, said Red Cross branch office treasurer Bijaya Karki. Once the blood bank materialises, Ilam will get much-needed relief, said Blood Transfusion Service Committee coordinator Ratan Chautari.