Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: An all-party meeting called by Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane has decided to continue the high-level political mechanism formed after the August 26 Bhotekoshi floods.
The meeting, held at the RSP parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar on Wednesday, decided to continue the all-party meetings held after the disaster as a “high-level political mechanism” by bringing together major political parties both represented and not represented in parliament.
The meeting also decided to formally request the Speaker to form a special parliamentary committee in the House of Representatives within a week, according to RSP Spokesperson Jagadish Kharel.
“Leaders of various political parties offered suggestions on how Nepal can strengthen its voice on climate justice during Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s upcoming visit to the US to attend the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly,” he said. “The government and the RSP will incorporate the issues and suggestions raised by leaders of the various parties during the meeting.”
Nepali Congress (NC) President Gagan Kumar Thapa told reporters after the meeting that a three-month tenure has been proposed for the special parliamentary committee. He said discussions were also held on monitoring the government’s search, rescue and relief efforts and defining the committee’s terms of reference.
“The prime minister should take the report and work of the committee seriously from the outset,” Thapa said. “The meeting also urged the ruling party president to coordinate with the prime minister to ensure that the committee’s work is not ignored.”
Similarly, Madhav Kumar Nepal, joint-coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), said the meeting agreed to continue the all-party meeting initiated by RSP President Lamichhane as a permanent “all-party political mechanism”.
“Leaders of different political parties drew the attention of the ruling party toward ineffective distribution and monitoring of relief, the lack of accurate data on actual victims, and the government’s failure to keep pace with relief efforts,” Nepal added.
Nepal also said the prime minister himself should call an all-party meeting on disasters and the climate crisis, consult political parties and take the initiative to formulate a national position based on expert advice.
NC President Thapa, NCP joint-coordinator Nepal, CPN-UML leader Padma Aryal, Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader Gyan Bahadur Shahi and Janamat Party Chairperson CK Raut, among other leaders, attended the meeting.
