KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress parliamentary leader Bhishmaraj Angdembe met Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Saturday and submitted a nine-point memorandum calling for faster rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts in flood-hit areas.
Angdembe met Shah at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m. The meeting followed Angdembe’s field inspection of flood-affected areas including Dhungebazar and Devighat in Nuwakot.
In the memorandum, Angdembe acknowledged the Nepal Army’s ongoing aerial rescue efforts but called for separate helicopter rescue units for Rasuwa and Nuwakot to make air operations more effective.
He also urged the government to immediately clear blocked roads and restore transportation in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. Of the more than 19 bridges damaged by the floods, he called for Bailey bridges to be installed at at least seven locations on an urgent basis.
The memorandum also called for the immediate restoration of electricity and telecommunications services to facilitate rescue, relief and coordination.
Angdembe urged authorities to intensify the search for missing people and properly manage bodies swept downstream by the floods. He called for field search and rescue teams to be mobilized for the recovery, identification and dignified management of the dead.
He further demanded transportation arrangements for rescued residents who need to travel to Kathmandu and special medical attention for injured people and senior citizens.
The memorandum called for oxygen, medicines and additional health workers for injured people receiving treatment at the Nuwakot District Ayurveda Centre, as well as adequate beds for senior citizens.
Angdembe also urged the federal government to strengthen coordination with local governments and facilitate social organizations willing to support relief distribution.
He called for permission to deploy international rescue teams and specialists where necessary, particularly in cases where people may be trapped inside tunnels, under debris or in other inaccessible locations.
Finally, he called for the swift installation of temporary rope bridges (tuiin) in areas along the Trishuli and other rivers where regular crossings have been disrupted by the disaster.
