Kathmandu, September 7
Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi has called on all sides to set aside political and partisan differences and unite to deal with the unprecedented natural disaster facing the country.
Addressing a Lions Club event in Janakpur, Nidhi stressed that rescue, relief and reconstruction should be prioritised in the wake of the disaster.
Nidhi said the recent floods and landslides across the country had caused significant loss of life and property.
He said the devastation in areas including Betrawati and Dhunge Bazaar in Rasuwa, as well as various parts of Nuwakot, had severely disrupted normal life.
Referring to the three stages of disaster management—rescue, relief and reconstruction—Nidhi said security agencies had been continuously engaged in rescue operations for the past 11 days.
He said the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force had done commendable work despite limited resources.
He also expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by the international community, including neighbouring India and China. “We have never faced such a massive disaster before. At such a time, we must rise above caste, ethnicity, gender, religion and politics and focus on humanitarian service,” he said.
Expressing concern over the damage to the hydropower sector, Nidhi said the loss of employees working at hydropower projects and the destruction of infrastructure represented an irreparable loss for the country.
