Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane has said that the government’s role in disaster management should not be viewed through the traditional lens of the ruling and opposition parties.
Speaking in the meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, he claimed that state mechanisms had been effectively mobilized from the early hours of the August 26 disaster.
He noted that the affected areas had been declared disaster crisis zones, extensive air rescues had been carried out, and the state had assumed immediate responsibility by placing displaced people in holding centres.
“The state is currently searching for people missing under the debris. The government’s management and efforts in air rescues and relief distribution during the sensitive period have been commendable,” Lamichhane said. “People who lost their lives in the August 26 floods should not be considered merely victims of a natural disaster, but innocent victims of global climate injustice.”
Although Nepal has played no role in increasing carbon emissions and global temperatures, he said humanity should accord special recognition to Nepalis who have been forced to bear the greatest cost of the climate crisis.
Stating that the cries and anger of people who had lost everything in the disaster were their final appeal to the state, Lamichhane urged people not to post derogatory comments or engage in cyberbullying against disaster victims on social media. He warned that any RSP member or office-bearer found involved in such activities would be expelled from the party immediately.
“The August 26 event should be declared a nationally significant climate-related disaster. An all-party special parliamentary committee should be formed to investigate the causes and damage and help internationalize the issue,” he added.
