Extending a helping hand to neighbouring Nepal, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said the state government had decided to chip in with whatever assistance it could to provide succour to the earthquake victims there in addition to the aid by the Centre.
Expressing compassion for the people of Nepal who bore the brunt of the massive earthquake, Mr. Kumar said, “We share border with Nepal and the people of the two areas have been living together for ages which warrant us to provide humanitarian assistance at our level too.”
To begin with, state medical teams stationed in border districts will treat the injured people free-of-cost from across the border too, he said, adding, ‘ready to eat’ food packets will be rushed to the quake-affected people of Nepal, comprising two kg chura (flattened rice, 250 gram sugar and salt) in each packet.
In all, 15,000 food packets, being packaged at Betiah (West Champaran) will be sent to Nepal for distribution among the quake-affected people, Mr. Kumar said.
Amid reports that a large number of people from Bihar, including students, were stranded at Pokhara and surrounding areas in Nepal devastated by the earthquake, it has been decided to rush buses to those places via Raxaul to bring them back, the Chief Minister said.
He said government staff will go with the bus to accompany the stranded people on way back to their native places.
In order to extend assistance to Nepal, the state government has decided to set up four base camps in border districts to assist the neighbouring country in rescue and relief works, he said.
Mr. Kumar also volunteered to rush a team of engineers and technicians to Nepal to restore electricity supply, stating that these engineers and technicians were presently camping in cyclone-ravaged Purnia district where restoration of electricity supply has been almost completed.
“With these engineers and technicians, we can send electric poles, conductors and transformers to Nepal for restoration of electricity supply,” he said.
