The Government of Nepal

Singha Durbar, Kathmandu

Nepal

Date:………30-04-2015………..

Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

Press release

Decisions taken by the Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee meeting, on 30-04-2015  in the presence of the Prime Minister, to increase effectiveness of the management of the crisis brought on by the destructive earthquake. The decisions, below, are presented for the information of all:

1. Secretaries of Home, Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, Finance and Urban Development to collectively prepare a list of supplies required for victims of the earthquake by 30-04-2015, and make it public after getting it approved by the Coordinator of Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee. Thereafter, inform the foreign missions that only those items listed there will be accepted and issue a public notice asking for help.
2. As tarps cannot be provided at the present time and if there is scope for earthquake victims to use locally available material to make temporary shelters, the local body or Urban Development Division to arrange for purchase of plastic or other material through the District Natural Disaster Relief Committee for setting up sheds.
3. To set standards for relief material, preventing duplication, and arrange for distribution of relief material collected by non-governmental and private sectors at locations determined by the Chief District Officer (CDO) in the presence of state authority.
4.  Deploy, under the leadership of the Army, Police and Armed Police Force (APF) in all affected districts, district headquarters, municipalities and village development committees and accord top priority to the removal of debris, recovery of dead bodies and dismantling of houses about to collapse.
5. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport to immediately repair damaged roads and bridges to resume transport in severely affected districts.
6. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, in cooperation of the local bodies to remove ruins after preparing archives and maps of the culturally important areas; in cooperation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, protect the archaeological material; and prepare plans for reconstruction.
7. Coordinately by the Minister of Commerce a task force to, from today itself, develop and implement unified management and unified and effective distribution system for the material purchased or received from various donors.
8. Coordinately by the Minister of Health, a task force to, make effective management and proper distribution of medicines or other health supplies purchased or received from various donors. In this process, the Health Ministry to present a proposal related to free treatment, already conducted and to be conducted, to the Council of Ministers.
9. Direct the Ambassadors in India, Pakistan and Thailand, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to immediately purchase one hundred thousand, fifty thousand and fifty thousand tarpaulins (tarps) respectively and send to Nepal at the earliest.
10. Assign responsibility of deployment and coordination of helicopters for relief purposes to joint group of Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Minister of Irrigation.
11. Establish teams under the leadership of a joint secretary and including Nepal Army, Police and APF in each electoral constituency, and immediately coordinate for the removal of ruins, management of corpses, distribution of relief and stopping epidemic. Identify locations for setting up camps that should have drinking water, electricity and temporary toilets. Joint secretary to be placed in district headquarters and a special-class officer to coordinate efforts in the whole district.
12. Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee to manage one truck relief material to be sent along with the joint secretary being sent to each electoral constituency; and immediately provide one set CDMA phone to each joint secretary being sent to each district and electoral constituency.
13. With regard to the materials received from aid agencies for relief of the earthquake victims, to further clarify the implementation of the provisions of the meeting of the cabinet of the government on 25-04-2015, line 10:
    • Tribhuvan Airport Customs Office, through the Tribhuvan Airport, to keep detailed account of all taxes, charges, and fees of relief material received from international donor agency and non-governmental organization and equipment of rescue and relief teams and food items in the name of the respective organization/institution; and inspect and release the items.
    • For the customs offices other than the Tribhuvan Airport Customs Office: Set up a Relief Material Recommendation Committee coordinated by the concerned CDO of the concerned district, and  the Local Development Officer (LDO), chief of security forces, and chief of the concerned customs office. If the Committee, determines the rationale and need and recommends, the relief material, keep detailed account of the material, all taxes, charges and fees, inspect and release the items.
    • Relief materials like medicine, water, food and relief apparatus stored in central or district  warehouse designated by the Nepal government or received by international agencies in Nepal or licensed foreign of Nepali  non-profits to be distributed in coordination with Central Natural Disaster Relief or District Natural Disaster Relief, and should be inspected and released by the aforementioned agency  following the established protocol along with  keeping detailed account of all taxes, charges and fees. But these agencies or personnels declaring items in customs should prove the validity of their agency registration certificate, contact number, contact and address of the authority of the agency, relief distribution location, and their program declaration.
    •  The detailed information (of aforementioned materials) on the material imported will be deleted if the materials are distributed as per the standards set by the Nepal Government and duly certified by the CDO and presented in the concerned customs office within 30 days. If not presented with the due certification of the CDO, the chief of customs shall claim the legally established fees, charges and taxes along with fines and initiate legal actions.

4-30-2015

Uttarkumar Khatri

Spokesman

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Phone:     4211025, 4211040, 4211035, 4211080, 4211073, 4211021, 4211038

Fax:          4211065, 4211083, 4211038, 4211021, 4211047, 4211047

P.O.B:      23312, Kathmandu, Nepal

email:       info@opemcm.gov.np

Website:  http://www.opmcm.gov.np

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 Disclaimer: This is an unofficial translation of the original Nepali document that can be found here.