KATHMANDU – Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khand has stressed on mutual cooperation for disaster risk management.
Minister Khand said so while addressing an event organized by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) here today on the occasion of 24th National Earthquake Safety Day-2078 BS.
The National Earthquake Safety Day is celebrated on second day of Nepali month of Magh in commemoration of the earthquake that hit the country on the same day in 1990 BS.
Khand emphasized cooperation and coordination among the three-tier government to reduce the risk of the natural disaster as well as to carry out post-disaster operations such as search, rescue and relocation, and rehabilitation among others.
He also underscored the need to consider building quake-resilient infrastructures and called for launching civic education for the same. In the context of rapidly spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19, the Minister said that it was responsibility of the government to save lives of citizens from COVID-19.
Furthermore, Minister Khand urged all the civil employees and security personnel to abide by the health safety protocols put in place by the government to prevent and control the contagion.
He also lauded the frontline workers such as medical professionals, security personnel, media persons, sanitation staffs, ambulance driver among others for their tireless duty amid the risk of COVID-19. Stating that the COVID-19 pandemic had hit hard economic, social, educational and political sector, the Minister said that we all should be sensitive towards COVID-19.
Similarly, KMC mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya opined that almost of us had experienced the temblor of the Gorkha Earthquake in 2015 which, he said, had incurred damages beyond our imagination.
He shared that the Metropolis had introduced code of conduct for building quake-resilient houses. According to him, the delay in reconstruction of quake-damaged houses in many places in Kathmandu district had further loomed the risk for the people.
Drawing the attention of Minister Khand, mayor Shakya shared that many physical structures in Basantapur and Asan areas were still in vulnerable state. Those quake-damaged structures, according to the Mayor, were yet to be rebuilt in lack of coordination among the concerned authorities such as local government, federal government and Guthi Sansthan, temple and trust management authorities among others.
Shakya viewed that the metropolis could be entrusted with responsibilities of reconstruction of the quake-damaged heritages since, he claimed, the metropolis had budget for the same. The event was attended by secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs Tek Narayan Pandey, IGP of Nepal Police Shailesh Thapa and IGP of Armed Police Force Shailendra Khanal among others.
Minister Khand along with other dignitaries laid wreath on the pillar made in memory of those killed in the Gorkha Earthquake. Minister Khand honoured three staffers at the Metropolis in recognition of their contribution to save the lives of people in the event of disasters.
Following the event, Minister Khand inspected the office of the Juddha fire brigade. The Home Minister was briefed about the reconstructed monuments and heritages as well as those yet to be rebuilt.
