KATHMANDU, June 19: With floods and landslides triggered by the ongoing monsoon claiming lives and inflicting property loss amounting to billions of rupees, a meeting of Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi, ministers and heads of security agencies on Wednesday decided to allocate an additional Rs. 400 million as relief assistance for the disaster victims. [break]
At the meeting held at his official residence at Baluwatar, Chairman Regmi directed all government stakeholders to work so as not to allow any further loss and not to delay the distribution of relief funds allocated by the government. According to the chairman´s press advisor, Bimal Gautam, the meeting decided to transfer Rs 400 million to the Prime Minister´s Disaster Relief Fund. Earlier the relief fund had Rs 190 million at its disposal.
The meeting also decided to increase the funding of the Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee from Rs 50 million to Rs 100 million.
Joint Secretary Laxmi Prasad Dhakal at the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said, "We have begun distribution of relief funds in various districts as per the decision of the government and the Criteria for Disaster Victims Relief and Rescue, 2064."
According to Dhakal, the committee is to provide relief assistance of Rs 40,000 each to the families of those who perished in the floods and landslides. "If a house is totally damaged, we are to provide Rs 20,000 and if that amount is found by the local-level rescue and relief committee to be insufficient, the government will provide an additional Rs 15,000," he said. In case of both loss of life and complete destruction of the house, the committee will provide relief funds after inspection by government authorities.
Earlier on Tuesday, the government had released Rs 5 million each for flood-hit Kanchanpur and Darchula districts.
During the meeting at Baluwatar, Home Minister Madhav Ghimire briefed Chairman Regmi about the flood and landslide damage. He also informed Regmi that the Home Ministry has deployed all the security agencies in the rescue and relief and search for the missing.
According to NEOC, 31 deaths have been confirmed and 17 are feared missing as of Wednesday evening. As per Home Ministry tallies, the disaster left 7 dead in Dailekh, 5 in Baitadi, 3 in Achham, 3 in Palpa, 2 in Kanchanpur, 4 in Humla, 5 in Kalikot and 1 each in Rupandehi and Dolpa. As of late evening we have confirmed losses including over 200 houses totally destroyed, dozens of livestock that perished and some injuries. The local authorities have been tallying the total loss of property, an NEOC official said.
During the meeting, Chairman Regmi also directed that rescue and preventive efforts be accelerated. The NEOC official, requesting anonymity, spoke of lack of coordination between stakeholders and government authorities.
According to Joint Secretary Dhakal, government authorities from central to local levels have been deployed in the rescue and relief, with the assistance of Nepal Army helicopter and rescue teams.
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