KATHMANDU: Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle has assured the families of customs employees killed or missing in the Bhotekoshi–Rasuwa flood that they will not be left alone in their time of grief.
Meeting family members of the victims collectively at the Finance Ministry on Thursday, Wagle said the ministry and customs administration stood with them.
Expressing grief over the loss of customs employees deployed in Rasuwa for government revenue collection, Wagle said the disaster had struck with little opportunity for warning or precaution, causing heavy loss of life and property.
“We share your pain and grief. We have also lost capable members of our customs administration family,” Wagle told them. “I cannot express the pain you are going through, but you are not alone. We stand with you.”
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He urged family members to openly raise their concerns with the ministry and Department of Customs, saying their needs would receive priority within the existing legal framework. He also received a preliminary list of demands submitted by the families and pledged to work towards addressing them.
Wagle said the education, livelihood and employment needs of the families of those killed or missing remained a priority for the ministry.
“Nothing can compensate for your irreparable loss, but we will give high priority to supporting you in making your daily lives and future easier,” he said.
The minister said assistance that can be provided under existing laws would be expedited. Demands requiring legal amendments would be taken forward in coordination with other ministries. The ministry is also prioritising matters including registration of the victims and scholarships for their children, he said.
Wagle said security personnel were still searching for those missing in the disaster. He also directed ministry officials to form a special task force to assist the families of customs employees killed or missing in the flood.
Family members of 15 employees of the Rasuwa Customs Office attended the meeting. They described the grief and difficulties they have faced after losing, or being unable to locate, family members who had been their households’ main source of support.
The 15 customs employees were caught in the Bhotekoshi flood on August 26 (Bhadra 10). They were Nakul Sharma, Rajendra Kumar Sonkar, Bikash Tamang, Bishnu Prasad Bhusal, Bhim Bahadur Lama, Dinesh Ghimire, Anita Puri, Prem Prasad Sedhai, Govinda Adhikari, Sunil Gurung, Naresh Dutta Joshi, Raju Oli, Ram Nepali, Bimal Tripathi and Hari Bahadur Khadka.
Of them, only the body of customs officer Nakul Sharma has been recovered and cremated. The remaining 14 employees are still missing.
