Situation critical, locals enraged by government apathy

SINDHUPALCHOWK, April 29: Resham Giri, a resident of Sangachowk VDC in Sindhupalchowk district had not thought his newly constructed house would collapse and kill his family members when he left for a trip to Upper Mustang a month ago. He had constructed his house a year ago. But his new house could not withstand the powerful jolts of Saturday's earthquake and as a result his wife, son and his sister-in-law were crushed to death.

Already in deep pain over death of his closed ones and loss of his property by the earthquakes, Giri, a porter, is suffering even more in lack of any support from the government even after four days of the disaster.

"First, I lost my wife and son. Now, we have nothing to eat. It would have been better if were also killed," said he, crying. Giri his one son and three daughters, who managed to save their life on the earthquakes, have not eaten anything for the last our days.

Another local, Khem Nath Dulal's wife sustained spinal cord injury on the earthquake. But as no rescue team has reached to his village, she has been lying writhing in pain nearby their collapsed house for four days now.

And Dulal has givne hope that his wife will survive.

"It would have been better if we all have perished. She is in pain and it is killing me. There is no person to provide even general medicines," said he, rolling tears from his wife.

These two are just representatives of locals in villages of Sindhupalchowk district who have been left to fend for themselves even after four days of the disaster and flooding of foreign aid for support of the disaster victims.

"We have nothing to eat. We are dying here but the authorities are doing nothing. Is the relief support only for people of the capital city?," questioned enraged Jit Bahadur Shrestha, a local of Narsingh Dandha in the district.

On Tuesday afternoon, locals in many villages were seen rummaging through rubbles of their demolished houses looking for stored foods like rice and maize as the government supplied no relief.

More than 28 people perished and hundreds of live-stock have died in the area on Saturday. With no rescue operation by the government the whole area has started to stink of dead bodies, increasing risk of outbreak of communicable diseases.

In Sangachowk and Chautara, the district headquarters, bodies trapped in building destroyed by earthquakes are stinking. But no efforts have been taken by the locals authorities to recover the bodies. Locals are pulling out the dead bodies on their own.

"We hear that foreign aid is arriving for earthquake victims. But we are getting nothing. We have become refugee in our own country," said Shiva Ram Giri, a local in Thulo Sanghache.

In the district headquarters, almost 90 percent of the structure have been damaged by earthquakes and locals have been forced to take refuge in open space. But hardly, any relief support from the government has reached despite locals' protests. And the district head quarters looked like a ghost town on Tuesday afternoon as all the locals deserted the market hub of the district.

According to the government's report, over 1400 people died alone in the district. Around 200 have reportedly died in Barmachi VDC.

Locals said they went to the District Administration Office seeking support, there was no chief district officer Krishna Raj Gyawali at the office.

"Some of the officials said relief support is arriving but they lied. It would have given us huge relief if the government has provided us a tent," mourned Rajan Thapa, a local.

Kabita Karki, who lost her mother-in-law in the district, said if the government continues to remain apathetic to them, locals will now start dying of famine. "Help us soon. Or we will die," said she.

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