Kathmandu, Sept 8: The Nepali Congress has urged the government to mobilize international experts and technology to rescue citizens trapped inside tunnels following the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli floods.
A meeting of the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee, held on Sunday and Monday under the chairmanship of party president Gagan Kumar Thapa, took decisions on rescue and relief operations, road restoration and press freedom.
The Nepali Congress said it had already contributed Rs 10 million to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund for flood victims and urged the government to take effective measures to ensure relief and reconstruction efforts reach those affected.
The meeting called on the government to carry out emergency rescue operations for those trapped inside tunnels. It demanded a multidisciplinary technical rescue operation to evacuate technicians and workers trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects including Upper Trishuli 1, Rasuwagadhi, Langtang Khola and Chilime.
The party also called for the mobilization of the Nepali Army, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority and international expert teams in the rescue effort, as well as free medical treatment for the injured.
Expressing concern that disruptions along the Pasang Lhamu Highway and at Krishnabhir on the Prithvi Highway could bring supplies to a standstill, the meeting urged the government to immediately form an expert team under the leadership of the Department of Roads and open temporary tracks.
The meeting also suggested immediately installing Bailey bridges at Betravati and other vulnerable locations. Noting that relief materials were piling up without reaching victims, it called for the rapid distribution of tents, food and medicines through a provincial and local government led “joint facilitation mechanism” and a single window system.
The meeting formed a committee under the coordination of central committee member Prof. Dr. Govind Raj Pokharel to formulate an integrated policy covering the damage caused by the Bhotekoshi floods, rescue and reconstruction efforts, and climate justice.
The party also expressed concern over the government’s decisions to exclude private sector media outlets from government advertisements, change the guidelines governing public welfare advertisements and increase the bulletin fees charged by the National News Agency (RSS). It demanded that the government immediately withdraw these decisions.
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