Itahari, October 29:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bam Dev Gautam said today that the government would rehabilitate victims of the Saptakoshi floods by mid-May.

Gautam, who is on a two-day visit to flood-affected areas, said this while talking to The Himalayan Times. Gautam told the victims to rest assured that their problems would end by that time.

He assured that a special plan would be introduced for a sustainable solution to the Koshi problem. A basic settlement structure and other facilities, including schools, colleges, hospitals and police posts would be built on 3,000 bigha of land for the victims, he said.

The deputy prime minister said he was not satisfied with the progress made in the construction of an alternative road. “We are here to speed up construction.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Upendra Yadav, Home Secretary Dr Govinda Kusum, acting secretary Pratap Kumar Pathak, spokesman for the Home Ministry Modraj Dotel, CPN-UML leader Keshav Sthapit and CA member Nandan Dutta are accompanying Gautam.

The team toured Chatara in Sunsari, the devastated Jamuwa-Haripur section of the East-West Highway and camp for the displaced at Jhumka based proposed regional prison. During the visit to the camp, Gautam interacted with the displaced people.