Kathmandu, September 17
A parliamentary special committee is set to be formed to address issues related to the disaster caused by the Bhotekoshi floods in Rasuwa and the broader challenges posed by climate change.
Leaders from political parties represented in Parliament, including parliamentary party leaders, deputy leaders and chief whips, are holding discussions on the formation of the committee.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chief Whip Kabindra Burlakoti said the discussions were based on an agreement reached at an all-party meeting on Wednesday.
The all-party meeting had agreed to establish two separate mechanisms to work on disaster response, recovery and long-term disaster risk reduction.
One is a high-level political mechanism comprising parties both inside and outside Parliament, while the other will be a parliamentary committee comprising parties represented in Parliament.
Lamichhane-led political mechanism
According to RSP spokesperson Jagadish Kharel, a high-level political mechanism has been formed under the leadership of RSP chair and ruling party leader Ravi Lamichhane.
The mechanism includes the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Nepali Communist Party, Shram Sanskriti Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janamat Party and Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal.
Kharel said a decision had also been taken to request the Rastriya Janamorcha to join the mechanism.
“The decision is to keep this high-level political mechanism, coordinated by RSP chair Ravi Lamichhane, in place to discuss sustainable disaster risk reduction and management as well as overall development and reconstruction issues,” Kharel said.
The mechanism is intended to work beyond the immediate response to the Rasuwa floods, with a focus on long-term disaster risk reduction, reconstruction and policy reform.
Parliamentary committee to be formed within a week
The second mechanism will be established within Parliament.
According to Kharel, the parties have agreed to form the parliamentary committee within a week, with representation based on the number of seats held by each party.
“The decision is to take the initiative to form the parliamentary committee and request the Speaker to facilitate its formation,” Kharel said.
The proposal will now be taken forward through the Speaker and Parliament.
CPN-UML Parliamentary Party Deputy Leader Padma Aryal said discussions were also under way on who would lead the parliamentary special committee.
“The issue of leadership of the parliamentary special committee is being discussed,” Aryal told Onlinekhabar.
The terms of reference for the committee are also expected to be discussed before its formation.
Proposal came after Rasuwa disaster
The move follows a proposal made by Lamichhane immediately after the devastating Bhotekoshi floods in Rasuwa.
A day after the disaster, Lamichhane called an all-party meeting and proposed forming a mechanism involving political parties to support the government from rescue and relief through rehabilitation.
“Let’s form an all-party, parliamentary or broader committee from rescue and relief to rehabilitation. It would make it easier for the government to take decisions,” he had said.
Representatives of the RSP, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Nepali Communist Party, Shram Sanskriti Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and Janamat Party participated in the initial discussions.
The all-party meeting subsequently adopted a 10-point commitment that included agreement to form a parliamentary committee to monitor government efforts and provide advice on post-disaster reconstruction, climate adaptation and improvements to national disaster policy.
The proposed parliamentary mechanism is expected to have a broader mandate than immediate flood response, including disaster preparedness, sustainable infrastructure, early warning systems and climate-related policy.
The development comes amid continuing calls from political parties for a parliamentary mechanism to oversee rescue, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction following the Rasuwa floods. Opposition parties had also urged the government to establish such a committee earlier this month.
