Locals complain of unfair relief distribution

Rautahat, August 18

As thousands of flood victims are desperately waiting for relief, political leaders and ministers are reportedly turning their back on the victims of places other than their own constituencies.

While CPN-Maoist Centre leader and Urban Development Minister Prabhu Sah is busy helping flood victims in constituency-3, Irrigation Minister Sanjaya Gautam and Agriculture Minister Ramkrishna Yadav and their teams are happy distributing relief to victims of constituency-2.

Similarly, NC parliamentarian Sunil Yadav has returned after relief distribution to flood victims in his constituency.

Around 80 per cent of the district was inundated due to floods in the Lalbakaiya, Bagmati, Jhajh, Bhakuwa, Chandi, Gujral rivers, forcing residents out of their home into the open, where they are faring very badly for want of food and shelter. As most of the victims haven’t seen any relief coming their way, the reported discrimination has irked them.

“There are thousands of victims in constituencies 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, but political leaders and ministers notice only the victims of their own constituencies at the cost of others. This is out-and-out unfair,” said an angry Bainath Sahahi, a flood victim of Badaharwa that falls in constituency-1.

“At a time when the victims of constituency-3 are getting relief, we are doomed to keep waiting for the relief, as we’ve also been ditched by our own leader,” said Pusparaj Yadav of Gaur Municipality.

CPN-UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal was elected from the constituency. Local social activist Shambhu Suprim also bemoaned the neglect that the victims of constituencies 1 and 4 have witnessed. “Victims in constituencies 1 and 4 have been neglected,” he observed, adding relief must be distributed fairly to all.