KATHMANDU: Prime Minister (PM) Balendra Shah (Balen) and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane held a meeting on Monday at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar.
During the meeting, they discussed the government’s search and rescue, relief distribution and civilian management efforts in areas affected by Wednesday’s flooding in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa.
According to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, the discussions also covered the rescue and relief of flood-affected citizens and the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure.
Prime Minister Shah said government mechanisms had been mobilized to their full capacity to protect the lives and property of citizens in the disaster-affected areas and to ensure the smooth delivery of relief materials and rehabilitation efforts, the Secretariat said.
The meeting came amid criticism that Prime Minister Shah had not held discussions with political parties or other stakeholders in the five days following the disaster. He had also faced criticism over a lack of coordination with provincial and local governments in rescue and relief efforts.
Meanwhile, Lamichhane has increased his engagement with local and provincial authorities. On Monday, he held discussions with around half a dozen local-level chiefs from Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Dhading. He also spoke with Bagmati Province Chief Minister Kiran Thapa Magar on Sunday.
Lamichhane’s increased involvement in the flood response had reportedly put pressure on the prime minister to step up coordination with political and other stakeholders. Against this backdrop, Shah and Lamichhane held talks for around two hours on Monday.
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