HoR meeting scheduled for today

KATHMANDU: The meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR), which was postponed following the Bhotekoshi flood disaster, has been scheduled for today (Wednesday).

A meeting of the House Business Advisory Committee held on Tuesday agreed to convene the House meeting on September 2, according to Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) whip Prakash Chandra Pariyar. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1 pm.

During the meeting, Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal is scheduled to present a special resolution on the Bhotekoshi flood disaster. Leaders of six political parties represented in Parliament are also scheduled to address the House.

Similarly, another meeting of the House of Representatives has been scheduled for September 3. However, Parliament will then go into recess due to three consecutive public holidays.

According to Pariyar, if the government declares national mourning on September 7, parliamentary proceedings will resume from September 8.

Meanwhile, National Assembly lawmakers on Tuesday urged the government to declare a national day of mourning in response to the devastating floods in Rasuwa. The lawmakers made the demand while speaking during the zero hour of the National Assembly.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Yubaraj Sharma urged the government to declare a national day of mourning and said the country must stand united in the face of the disaster. “What was not supposed to happen has happened. Now, the government’s focus should be on search, rescue, relief and rehabilitation,” Sharma said. “Result-oriented action and proper management are needed rather than propaganda.” He also called for collective efforts to deal with the disaster.

Similarly, lawmaker Madan Kumari Shah ‘Garima’ demanded that the government declare a national day of mourning and lower the national flag for one day to express condolences to the victims. She also called for the disaster to be raised at the international level, arguing that the consequences of climate change caused largely by the actions of wealthy and developed countries are being disproportionately suffered by countries like Nepal.

The devastating flood struck the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on August 26.