KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) leader and main opposition party leader Bhishma Angdembe met Prime Minister Balendra Shah and drawn the government’s attention to the need to intensify rescue and relief efforts for victims of the Bhotekoshi flood.
At a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar today, Angdembe submitted a nine-point memorandum to the government after returning from an on-site inspection of flood-affected areas, including Dhungebazar and Devighat in Nuwakot.
Angdembe called for the government to address problems observed on the ground during rescue and relief operations in flood-affected Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, and to make aerial rescue operations more effective. While commending the rescue efforts of the Nepali Army, he called for separate helicopter rescue units to be formed and mobilized in Rasuwa and Nuwakot.
He also urged the government to immediately restore roads and bridges, clear blocked routes in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, and resume transportation services. He called for Bailey bridges to be installed at at least seven of the more than 19 bridges damaged by the floods. He also stressed the need to restore electricity and communication services to facilitate rescue, relief and communication.
Angdembe urged the government to expedite the search for missing people and the management of bodies. He called for on-site search and rescue teams to be mobilized to locate missing people, identify recovered bodies and ensure their proper management, noting that bodies swept away by the floods have been scattered across various locations.
He also demanded transportation arrangements for rescued citizens and for those relocated to safety to be brought to Kathmandu when necessary. The memorandum calls for special attention to the treatment of injured people and senior citizens. It also urges the government to arrange adequate oxygen, medicines, health workers and beds for senior citizens at the Nuwakot District Ayurveda Centre.
Angdembe called on the federal government to ensure effective coordination with local governments and strengthen cooperation among federal, provincial and local authorities in rescue and relief operations. He also urged the government to facilitate social organizations willing to assist with relief distribution.
The main opposition party has also drawn the government’s attention to the urgent need to arrange tuin crossings in river areas, including along the Trishuli. Angdembe expressed his readiness to cooperate and coordinate with the government in these efforts.
According to his secretariat, Angdembe called for rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts to be expedited by making the safety and lives of citizens the top priority during the disaster.
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