National
Dharan flood survivors off govt relief radar
The flood-displaced families of Dharan Sub-metropolis in Sunsari district have been surviving on food donated by Nepal Red Cross Society and other social organisations for the last 13 days.Pradeep Menyangbo
The flood-displaced families of Dharan Sub-metropolis in Sunsari district have been surviving on food donated by Nepal Red Cross Society and other social organisations for the last 13 days. These are 93 families from wards 5, 6, 11, 16, 17 and 20 of the sub-metropolis who are off the government’s relief radar so far.
The government has announced a month-long daily food allowance of Rs 70 per person in the flood-affected areas and Rs 200,000 cash relief to every displaced family. But the local government agencies have not reached Dharan’s displaced, who also did not get emergency relief from the District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC).
There was no such thing as first response to disaster when heavy floodings wreaked destruction in the sub-metropolis, said Bhuwan Singh Basnet, ward chairman of Dharan-6.
“Many families have lost their homes and they are now living in makeshift huts. They have been living off the food donated by the Red Cross, locals and social organisations,” Basnet said.
It is the job of concerned DDRC to launch and coordinate first response in the disaster-hit areas. But the DDRC, Sunsari, is noticeably absent in the flood-affected areas.
Chief District Officer (CDO) Gopal Prasad Parajuli, who also heads the DDRC, blamed the officials of Dharan Sub-metropolis for the delay in relief distribution.
He was of the view that relief materials should not be distributed willy-nilly without ascertaining the number of families affected by the disaster.
“The sub-metropolis has not sent the data of flood victims. We will distribute relief after the process is completed,” CDO Parajuli said.
Deputy Mayor of Dharan Sub-metropolis Manju Bhandari does not agree with Parajuli’s argument. According to her, the first priority of the district administration office in any case of disaster ought to be emergency response— rescuing lives and supplying immediate relief, in other words.
“We are still collecting data of the flood victims. But that does not mean the district administration should withhold relief because it does not have the figures on how many families are suffering,” Bhandari said.
While the officials at the District Administration Office and the newly elected people’s representatives of Dharan Sub-metropolis debate over the supposed correct course of action to hand out relief, the flood-displaced families are being deprived of basic survival needs.
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Pvt organisations to rescue
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