KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) parliamentary party leader Bhishmaraj Angdembe has accused the government of focusing on social media rather than carrying out timely rescue operations during the Bhotekoshi flood.
Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Angdembe said the government had failed to respond sensitively to the disaster. Referring to workers and laborers trapped inside a hydropower project tunnel, he alleged that the government did not initiate search and rescue operations in time.
He said the first 72 hours were crucial for search and rescue efforts, but the government did not appear to pay adequate attention during that period. According to him, the government contacted the concerned hydropower project for search and rescue only on the seventh day.
“Is death inside the tunnel due to the government’s insensitivity and delay simply death, or is it murder?” he asked. Angdembe also accused the government of failing to reach flood-affected citizens in time.
“The government got involved in social media but did not reach vulnerable communities in time,” he said. “Instead of delivering results and saving lives, the government started organizing propaganda. It happened more on Facebook than in the field, creating a stir.”
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