Himal Press 
GANDAKI: The Gandaki Province government has decided to provide Rs 100,000 in relief to the families of each person who died or went missing in floods and landslides in the province.
A cabinet meeting held on Monday also decided to provide families of the deceased an additional Rs 25,000 for funeral expenses. Similarly, it decided to provide Rs 50,000 to injured people for medical treatment.
The provincial government had also provided similar assistance to those affected by the Bhotekoshi floods in Rasuwa last month. It had also contributed Rs 40 million to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.
More than 20 people have died in Gandaki Province in recent floods, landslides and inundation triggered by incessant rainfall, while 12 people remain missing in Manang. Gandaki has suffered the highest human casualties among the provinces.
Baglung, Myagdi and Manang have suffered the most damage. Across the province’s 11 districts, 179 houses have been completely destroyed and 26 partially damaged. Roads, bridges, drinking-water systems and other physical infrastructure have also sustained extensive damage.
The floods and landslides damaged 11 suspension bridges, six motorable bridges and 43 road sections across the province. Most of the affected provincial roads are in the process of being reopened, according to the provincial government.
The provincial government has said that it will give high priority to the rescue, relief, treatment and rehabilitation of disaster-affected people.
The cabinet also directed relevant government offices to immediately begin possible reconstruction works on damaged physical infrastructure and collect comprehensive details of the damage within three days.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey inspected flood- and landslide-affected areas of Baglung, Myagdi and Parbat districts on Tuesday. He gathered information from local residents and security officials about casualties and property damage, as well as the impact on roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
District security committee meetings were held in Baglung and Myagdi in the presence of the chief minister to discuss the damage, the current situation and immediate response measures.
Pandey also met displaced people and inquired about their living conditions, including access to food and healthcare.
Talking to reporters, he said coordination was being carried out on the ground to restore normalcy in the affected areas, with the rescue, relief, treatment and rehabilitation of citizens being given top priority.
The provincial government has said that it was coordinating with the federal government to reopen major roads like the Mid-Hill Highway, Kaligandaki Corridor, Beni-Jomsom-Korala road and Besisahar-Manang road.
Pandey said infrastructure development offices in the districts had been instructed to reopen roads, wherever alternative arrangements were possible, immediately.
Tarpaulins, tents and medical supplies have been sent to Baglung, Manang, Myagdi and Parbat as needed to meet the immediate needs of affected residents, according to the provincial government.
The provincial government had allocated Rs 1 million each to the disaster management committees of all 11 districts in the province.
The Provincial Disaster Management Fund currently has Rs 100 million in reserve.
