Declare Rautahat crisis-hit zone: Locals

Rautahat, August 16

Entrepreneurs, political parties, and locals today demanded that Rautahat be declared a crisis-hit zone as recent flood had wreaked colossal havoc in the district.

Locals, entrepreneurs and party leaders also urged the government to bring out special relief packages for flood-affected people.

Members of Rautahat chapter of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry today staged a rally in front of Rautahat DAO saying that the local administration had failed to work effectively during the disaster.

The entrepreneurs today met with Rautahat CDO Uddav Bahadur Thapa had urged him to announce the district a crisis-hit zone pronto and launch relief programmes. Floods have damaged investment worth billions on food items, clothes, electronics and medicine.

Flood has destroyed hundreds of thousands of quintals rice, pulses, wheat and other food items stored in godowns.

“I lost thousands of quintals rice and wheat in the godown. I could save nothing,” Gaur’s trader Ritesh Agrawal said. He complained that he had incurred a loss of Rs 5 million in the flood. Agrawal has been worried after the flood destroyed his business which had grown after years of hard work.

Grocery trader Ghanshyam Agrawal said that financial transaction had become very tough as the receipts, bills and other documents were damaged in the flood. “Traders do not have any documents. How can we carry out financial transaction in the days to come?” he asked.

Agrawal demanded that the government declare Rautahat a crisis-hit zone and provide the basic necessities to the locals for their survival.

CDO Thapa pledged to inform the Ministry of Home Affairs about the demand to declare Rautahat a crisis-hit zone. The flood damaged more than 30,000 houses while millions were affected by the disaster.