State has stood as a shield to protect citizens’ lives: Rabi

KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane has said the state has stood as a shield to protect the lives of its citizens.

Addressing the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Lamichhane said the state is currently engaged in search and rescue operations for citizens trapped in rubble and tunnels following the disaster on August 26.

“I hear people asking, ‘Where is the state? What has the state done?’ The state is working day and night to provide shelter and support to citizens who have lost everything and are now living under the open sky,” Lamichhane said.

He said the state has been working not only to restore roads and bridges swept away by the floods but also to rebuild the trust of citizens shaken by the disaster.

Lamichhane acknowledged that resources and technology are limited but said the available skills and capabilities are being utilized to the fullest.

“The state is currently searching for its citizens trapped in the devastating rubble and tunnels. It is working day and night to provide shelter and support to our brothers and sisters who have lost everything and are now living under the open sky.

The state is working not only to restore the roads washed away and bridges destroyed by the floods but also to rebuild the trust of citizens shaken by the disaster.

The state is currently preparing a blueprint for stronger disaster preparedness and safer infrastructure so that such a disaster will never have to be experienced again in the future.

The state is currently standing as a shield to protect the lives of its citizens, setting aside its limitations, lack of resources and fatigue.”

Likeiwse, he said Nepal must “knock on the door of climate justice” for those who lost their lives in the Bhote Koshi flood.

Lamichhane described those who lost their lives in the Bhote Koshi flood as “victims of climate injustice.” He said the victims lost their lives through no fault of their own.

“Those who lost their lives in the Bhote Koshi flood are victims of climate injustice,” Lamichhane said.

He stressed the need to take initiatives to seek justice for the victims and called for turning the loss of lives into a basis for pursuing climate justice.

“We must resolve to knock on the door of climate justice by making this loss a means of seeking climate justice,” he said.