All-party Parliamentary Special Committee to Be Formed for Disaster Management

An all-party meeting called by President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rabi Lamichhane, has decided to form an all-party parliamentary special committee within a week for disaster risk reduction and management.

The meeting held at RSP Parliamentary Party Office in Singha Durbar today took the decision to take initiative to form such committee to provide clear policy-level roadmap and strategic framework to prevent possible human casualties and physical losses from disaster in future learning serious lesson from Bhotekoshi flood.

The committee would collaborate, cooperate and monitor as well as make coordination between the government, parliament and stakeholders about long-term direction to be adopted by the state for reconstruction of post-disaster sustainable infrastructures, preparedness of disaster, enhancement of early warning system and strong climate diplomacy.

It would review the existing laws related to disaster management and take activeness in parliament in making necessary laws, shared RSP Spokesperson Jagadish Kharel. Similarly, a decision was taken to request Speaker and Federal parliament from the side of all political parties participated in the meeting to initiate the process for the formation of the committee and necessary management.

Likewise, the all-party meeting also decided to give continuity to ‘high-level political mechanism’ led by President Lamichhane to hold discussion on the issue of disaster risk reduction and management as well as overall development construction.

The meeting also reviewed about loss of lives and properties as well as ongoing search, rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities carried out by the government, contribution of political parties and ongoing activities from state’s different bodies.

Discussion was also held about the matters related to climate justice to be raised by Prime Minister Balendra Shah in the international forums as he is scheduled to participate in the UNGA. Spokesperson Kharel mentioned that the leaders of different political parties suggested about the issues to be raised from the side of Nepal.

Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa, Join-Coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party Madhav Kumar Nepal, CPN (UML)’s leader Padma Aryal, Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader Gyan Bahadur Shahi and Chairperson of Janamat Party, CK Raut, among others were present in the meeting.