All sides’ engagement imperative to cope with disaster: Home Minister Khand

Home Minister Balkrishna Khand has said all stakeholders should work actively to cope with disaster. He also pointed the need of proper management with short term and long term programmes for the rescue works, relief distribution and rehabilitation after the disaster.

The Home Minister was speaking at an executive meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management held at the ministry on Friday. “We need to be careful during the construction- whether the physical infrastructure is robust or not,” he said, admitting the difficulty to integrate the scattered settlements.

He argued that it would be appropriate for the disaster management and security in the integrated settlement.

On the occasion, Minister for Urban Development Ram Kumari Jhankri said resilient physical infrastructures should be created to cope with the disaster. “We should be clear whether the land or the house would be appropriate for the distribution to dwellers on unmanaged land. According to her, distribution of land to such people by forming commission would not be successful.

Jhankri further stated that the integrated settlements raised after the earthquake should be checked whether they are resilient.

Similarly, Minister for Federal Affairs and Administration Rajendra Prasad Shrestha stressed the need for making early warning system modern and effective.

Disaster related incidents are severe challenges before the country, said Chief Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi, adding that collaboration and cooperation among all state bodies, associations and people’s representatives is essential to this end.

Secretary at the National Planning Commission Kewal Prasad Bhandari argued that the natural disasters could hinder the country to achieve the sustainable development goals.